


Graceland

by VisiblePetrichor



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Graceland AU, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:07:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisiblePetrichor/pseuds/VisiblePetrichor
Summary: A world of crime and undercover agents.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this popped into my head while day dreaming on the train one morning. Not entirely sure where I'm going with this. Will add character tags as I go along.

"You think I'm crazy," Richie says to him over the phone, while Seth storms out of the back door of the bar.

"That's not what I'm saying," Seth hisses into the phone.

"Then you think I'm stupid."

"Richie, you're not hearing me," he says through gritted teeth. 

"I hear you just fine. You think that I can't get us out of this situation. Like I'm some kind of..."

"Okay, look," he interrupts. "Will you just shut up for three seconds, please? We have a situation here. We need to think this through."

"You got us into this situation."

"Oh, I did?" Seth nearly snorts in disbelief. "You're the one who's currently situated in the wrong country, Richard."

"Hm? Well, let's just turn ourselves over to the authorities then, Seth. Let's just bend on over, because apparently that's how we operate now. They teach you that in prison?"

"Listen to me, alright," Seth angry whispers into the phone, while doing a quick scan around him to check that no one else is listening to his conversation. "If you can't get back to Mexico, I need you to stay where you are and chill out until I can get to you, okay. Low profile."

"Yeah, fine," Richie replies dismissively. 

"Low profile," he repeats, articulating each word in the faint hope that his dumbass brother will listen to him for once. 

"Seth, I am back, which means we are back," Richie says. Seth can picture the smug look on his face right now, and it makes him want to punch something. 

"Seth, I have to go. You need to relax, brother. I'll fix this," Richie says before hanging up on Seth. 

"Richard," he yells into the phone. Seth tries to call Richie back immediately, but the call goes through to his voice mail. 

"Fuck," Seth yells. He kicks at the dirt on the ground, and tightens his grip on the bottle of beer in his right hand. 

"He's gonna be fine. I just need to get him to Mexico," he whispers to himself. He tries Richie's number again, and he's cautiously optimistic when he hears ringing. 

The call ends abruptly.

"Fuck," Seth yells again. He turns and throws the beer bottle against the wall, exactly as a young woman steps through the back door. 

"What the hell, asshole," she yells at him. She tries to wipe away the beer and remove pieces of glass from her jacket and in her hair. 

Damnit. He cannot seem to catch a fucking break tonight. He hopes she'll just walk away; he can't deal with more drama tonight.

She stands her ground, looking at him with eyebrows raised and her arms crossed. 

Shit. 

"Sweetheart," he starts.

"Sweetheart? Really?" the woman mocks. 

"Okay, listen," he starts again.

"Save it, Casanova," she interrupts. "I think you've done enough tonight." She tries another swipe of her jacket, turns on her heel and walks back into the bar.

Seth wants to leave it at that. But low profile applies to him as well, and he can't risk her deciding to sue him or some other shit. He takes a breath. He needs to calm the fuck down if he's going to charm his way out of this. "Get it together, Gecko," he murmurs to himself as he makes his way back into the bar.

He does a quick lap but doesn't spot her immediately - she's probably in the bathroom washing the beer out of her hair. Good, he needs to start planning anyway. He's not trusting Richie to get them out of this shit show. So, he takes a seat at the bar and orders a drink. If there is one thing he knows he can get right tonight, it's getting drunk. 

Two drinks later and nowhere closer to solving his latest Richie problem, he spots her sitting at the bar, a few seats away. Seth downs the rest of his drink quickly and walks over. 

"What do you want?" she asks when he takes the open seat next to her. 

"Take it easy, Frosty," he rebuffs. 

"Sure. I will take it easy. Will you leave now?" she asks snidely, still facing ahead of her. It’s like she doesn't think he's good enough for her full attention. He balls his hand into a fist instinctively. 

"Look," he tries again. "I want to apologise for earlier, okay. Maybe buy you a drink?"

She finally turns to face him. She looks younger than he initially thought. Pretty, and definitely younger than he is. He gets distracted by how green her eyes are, before realising that she still hasn't said anything. He notices her appraising him, her eyebrows raised and head slightly tilted. He's chuffed; it's always good for the ego when a pretty lady takes the time to check him out. 

"Are you apologising telepathically?" she asks sarcastically, before turning to face forward with an annoying smirk plastered on her face. 

His balls his hand into a fist again. He can't believe how quickly this woman riles him up. Seth sighs, and knocks his fist against the bar stool slowly, trying to regain his calm. 

Focus Gecko. An apology is simple enough. He can manage that.

"I'm sorry, okay," Seth tries again, trying to be as sincere as a fucking holy man. "Really, I am. You didn't get cut by the broken glass, did you?"

"No, I don't think so," she answers, with a glance towards him out of the corner of her eye.

He nods. He'll take that as a win. He leans over the bar; he can see her eye his bicep. Yeah, even when they hate him, the ladies still can't look away. He musters his most charming voice and asks, "So, about that drink?"

She turns towards him slowly. She's smirking shyly, and Seth knows that he's got this in the bag. But as he watches her smirk grow into a shit-eating grin, he starts feeling a little nervous. 

"I can buy my own drinks," she says. "But if you want to make it up to me," she leans in a little, and whispers, "steal one for me, please?" Seth is sure that she slightly bites her bottom lip. It's fucking seductive. What is happening here? 

He clears his throat, to bide some time for his comeback. "Princess, I never said anything about making it up to you," he retorts. 

"My name is Kate," she says while righting herself on the bar stool. "And now I think we've upgraded to that bottle of Lagavulin." She points to the bottle on the top shelf behind the bar.

The nerve of this woman. "What? No," he says firmly. She's being ridiculous. He's already apologised for Christ's sake. 

"Fine," she says finishing her drink. "You have a good night now." She stands up from her seat and tries to leave.

"Kate." He grabs her arm instinctively, to stop her from leaving. "Okay, meet me in the front in two minutes."

"What?" Kate asks, clearly surprised. 

"Go. We'll need to make a quick exit." He nudges her towards the front door, and shamelessly takes a quick glance at her ass as she walks away. 

Seth sighs and looks around the bar, trying to come up with plan to steal the Lagavulin. His two minutes are almost up, so he decides to go for broke. He dashes behind the bar, grabs the bottle, and makes like a bat out of hell. 

"Seth, what the fuck, man," the bartender yells after him.

"I'll make it up to you, Johnny," he yells back, while dodging through the crowd to get to the front door.

He sees Kate waiting outside and purposefully bumps into her when he runs past. "Hop to, Princess," he yells at her, chancing a glance backwards.

She runs after him and yells, "It's Kate!" 

He knows that no one from the bar will follow him, but decides that it's fun making Kate run after him. 

Seth finally stops running when they reach the beach. He turns around, expecting Kate to need time to catch up, but she's only a few steps away. He smiles. She's impressive. Too bad for her that he's not done making her run yet.

"Come on. I think I still see Johnny," he says, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the stairs to the beach.

She pulls her arm back strongly. "There is no one following us," she pants out. 

He tries his best not to outright laugh at her, and says, "You're faster than you look, Kate. I'm impressed." He hands her the bottle of whisky, but she bats it away while she tries to catch her breath. 

At that, he chuckles and directs her to sit at a nearby bench. "Come on, Speed Racer." 

"For the last time..."

"It's Kate. Yes, I know." He motions the whisky bottle towards her and asks, "Can I?"

"Yeah, sure," she answers. Her breathing is almost normal already. He really underestimated her - she's more fit than she looks. 

He tries his best not to grimace when he takes a swing of the whisky. But when he looks to see if she noticed, she's busy looking ahead at the ocean. 

"I can't believe you stole this," she says when he hands the bottle to her. Her face is flushed, her brow sweaty, and there's a giant smile on her face. He mirrors her smile automatically; her mood is infectious. 

"I guess we're criminals now," he jokes. "You're welcome," he says with a wink.

She smiles awkwardly, and quickly looks away from him. He watches her take a sip of the whisky and laughs at the disgusted look on her face. 

She elbows him in the side, frowning. "Shut up."

He shakes his head and chuckles. "You are full of surprises, Kate."

"Haha, very funny," she says sarcastically. "Hey," she starts, turning to him with a look of confusion. "I still don't know your name."

"Seth," he says, offering his hand to her. Her handshake is surprisingly firm. 

"Seth," she repeats. "It suits you."

"Uhm, thanks," he says, not sure what else to say to that.

"You're welcome," she replies. There's that beaming smile again, and he has to look away. 

They sit in silence for a while, passing the whisky back and forth and listening to the ocean. They take little sips mostly, because she's definitely a lightweight and he's already tipsy. He glances at her from time to time, and has to hold back a laugh every time he sees her take a sip. 

"You grow up around here?" Kate asks randomly.

"No," he answers. "Kansas City. You?"

"Bethel, Texas. No ocean smell for miles," she says while taking a deep breath of the ocean air. "I love the smell of the ocean." 

"Yeah, it's really something the first time you see it," he says reminiscing about beach days with Richie and Uncle Eddie. He tells her about the time Eddie took him and Richie on their first road-trip to the beach. They buried Eddie in the sand so well, that they were scared he would drown when the tide started coming in. She laughs brightly, and tells him about how her little brother, Scott, thought the sand was dirt the first time they went to the beach.

They share some childhood stories for a while. Seth tries only to share the good stories, the ones after they moved in with Eddie. He doesn't ask where her family is now or how she got here, and neither does she. 

"So, this night took a turn," she says while turning to face him. The street lighting makes her eyes shine. Fuck, he must be horny if he's noticing sparklingly eyes. Maybe he's a little more drunk than he realises. Either way, she's cute and funny and surprising - why not see where this goes.

"You know, you have a really pretty smile," he admits to her. 

She makes a gagging sound. "Ugh, don't be that guy," she says with disgust. 

Obviously, she doesn't respond like he anticipated.

"I'm trying to pay you a compliment," he defends.

"No. My purpose in life is not to look pretty for someone else's benefit." 

He resists the urge to eye-roll.

"And, you threw a bottle at me," she continues. "The glass could've gotten into my eye. I still have beer in my hair," she says loudly.

"From my side," he mumbles, "you appeared where my bottle was thrown." 

"That's not anything," she argues. "Do... you want to talk about why you are throwing glass bottles at walls?" Kate asks softly. She gives him a doe-eyed look with her Bambi eyes. It's like she's trying to peer into his soul. 

"Nothing," he replies looking out at the ocean again. "It's nothing."

Fucking Richie and his goddamn masterplans. 

Kate takes the bottle from him, distracting him for a moment. "So, how much does this bottle cost anyway?" Kate asks.

"The 16? About $100," he guesses. 

"What? For a bottle of whisky?" 

"Yeah, the good stuff is pricey. Wait, how do you know a Lagavulin and not know what it costs?" Seth asks, actually curious.

"Ron Swanson. Parks and Rec," she answers simply, as if that explains everything.

"That your sugar daddy?" Seth teases. 

"Ew, no. What is wrong with you? He's a... Uh, never mind. But seriously, $100?" Kate asks, looking at the bottle, like she can determine the cost of whisky from sight. Kate tries to spin the bottle in her hands and ends up stumbling a little on the bench. "Oh, I think I'm a little drunk."

"Yeah, you're a total lightweight," he teases. He catches her eye, and she smiles softly at him, her cheeks flushed and eyes dilated. Yeah, she's definitely drunk. He won't take advantage of a drunk woman; he's a bastard, but he's not a fucking bastard.

"Hey, it's getting late. Do you want me to call you a cab?" Seth asks. 

"Yeah... But I can't remember the name of the motel I'm staying at." She looks around them, brows furrowed and clearly confused. "Where exactly are we?"

"A few streets south of the bar," he answers, looking around at the quiet streets. "Is your motel close to the bar?" 

"Uhm," she starts, eyes squint, thinking hard. "Wait, yes. It's around the corner," she answers more confidently.

"Okay, drunkie. Up and at 'em," he says as he stands and offers her a hand. "We're gonna try to find your motel."

"It is Kate, and I'm just a little tipsy," she says while standing on her own, his hand ignored. "I know what I'm doing. I can get back on my own," she insists.

"Look, I got beer in your hair and almost made you blind. It's the least I can do. Come on." He gestures for her to follow him, and waits until she nods to start walking. 

They take a slow walk back towards the bar. He still has the whisky bottle. It's basically still full, but it's mostly forgotten in his hand.

Kate twirls around in the street, her hair ruffling in the wind. It's like she's some fucking fairy princess. Seth shakes his head; he's close to slapping himself. 

In no time, they're close to the bar already. The walk back was quick. Kate, thankfully is walking like a normal person again, but she's still upsettingly distracting. He can't seem to focus on anything besides her.

"I love the smell of the ocean," she admits again, taking a deep breath of the night air. "Ocean Breeze! That's the name of the motel," she yells. She basically jumps for joy, looking so pleased with herself. 

He laughs with her before he remembers something. "Didn't it close after that roach infestation a few years back?" Seth asks. One of those motels close to the bar had some infestation, but he can't remember which one. 

"What?" Kate asks, stopping abruptly in the street. She shakes her head incessantly, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. "No. No. No. Seth, no. Please tell me you are joking."

He has to take a minute to think about it, because it was a while ago. "Maybe it was the Beach Paradise?"

"No, Seth. Please. I hate roaches. Please tell me you are joking," she pleads. She has to take faster steps to catch up to him. 

They reach the Ocean Breeze Motel, and Seth is certain he's right. 

"... Uhm, yeah. This is definitely the place," he admits. He sees her face fall in dismay. Her eyes are so wide that the sad look on her face is almost comical. She's basically a walking cartoon character.

"Look, it was a long time ago," he tries to placate. "I'm sure they're all up to code now." 

"That does not make me feel better," she mumbles.

Seeing the motel, he realises he's not ready for this night to end yet. "You know, if you want, I can come take a look for roach nests or something." He wants to spend a little more time with her. He'll look around for roaches. Maybe she'll offer him a drink, but he'll leave soon after, like a gentleman. 

"Do roaches nest?" Kate asks in response.

Great. Now he feels like a complete moron. 

"I... I'd like that," she stutters. "Thanks. I hate roaches."

Seth can't figure out if it's the street lighting, but it looks like she's blushing. 

"Don't smirk," she scolds. "Roaches are disgusting. They're a reservoir of disease. They're rats of the insect world."

"You need to spend less time thinking about roaches," he says with a chuckle. She turns to him, pokes her tongue out, and strides away towards the motel.

He shakes his head and follows her. He still cannot believe how this night has turned out. He's glad he decided to steal that bottle of whisky.

He sees her hesitate when opening the door to her motel room. He guesses that she's not used to picking up strangers. "Hey," he says with a hand on her arm. "I'm just checking for roach nests, then I'll be out of your hair."

She nods slightly, but she still doesn't look completely comfortable with him being there.

"Kate," he tries again, stooping slightly so she'll look him straight in the eye. "You say the word, and I'll leave. Okay?" 

"Okay," she answers with a small smile, and opens the door. Seth puts the bottle down on a side table and does a quick survey of the room. When he sees Kate linger at the door, he sighs and runs his hand through his hair. She's fidgeting with her hands, and avoiding his eyes. Her sass and bravado from earlier is gone; she must be sober now.

He may as well be useful, so he makes a big show about looking around the room, in corners and under the bed. "I think you're free of roach nests, Little Lady," he teases, hoping to get a rise out of her. She's been quiet for too long now, and it's freaking him out. 

"So, I should go," he says when she remains silent. He makes a move toward the door and pauses. "I had fun tonight. You know, besides the broken glass and beer in your hair." 

She still doesn't say anything, but she gives him a small smile that he returns with ease.

When he gets close to the door, he stops and turns to her. He really wants to kiss her damnit, but she's clearly uncomfortable with him being here. "Good night, Kate," he says with a sigh. 

"Wait, Seth." She stops him with a hand on his forearm. "The bottle is still full," she says, gesturing to the Lagavulin. "Do you want to stay for a drink?"

Shit. She does want him to stay.

"Kate," he says with a smile. "I don't think drinking more is a good idea. You're drunk." 

He removes her hand from his arm, but she catches his hand in hers and doesn't let go. 

"I'm not drunk," she says, shaking her head and peering up at him. "And we don't have to drink more."

"Kate," he starts again.

"I'm not drunk," she repeats, dropping his hand. She takes a step back from him and starts removing her jacket. The jacket slides down her arms, before she catches it in her hands. She chucks the jacket to the side, and walks slowly toward him. His mouth goes dry. 

He's either still drunk or in an alternate dimension, because it's like Kate is moving in slow motion. 

Fuck. He's too scared to say anything at this point. If this is going to happen, it has to come from her.

"Seth, I'm honestly not drunk. I was, a little, but that was earlier. Now, I want you to stay." 

She's in his personal space now, and it's suddenly too hot in here. "Kate, are you sure about this? I promise I came in here to check for roaches."

She leans in towards him. He holds his ground, but the closer she gets, the more he wants to run. 

She starts smirking again, and says, "You know, you have a really pretty smile." 

She pulls him down and kisses the smile from his lips. Soft kisses quickly become something deeper. She slides her hands up his chest to thread her fingers through his hair. His hands are on her hips, circling around to her ass. 

"Kate," he whispers, when she pulls him towards the bed. "You say the word, and I'll leave, okay?" 

She pulls away from him slightly and starts unbuttoning her shirt. "Don't leave," she whispers.

Thank God. 

Things move quickly after that - clothes quickly discarded until they're both in their underwear, kissing, caressing, light touches, and nips of his teeth. He easily gets lost in the feel of her. The shape of her ass, the taste of her lips and skin, the feel of her fingers lightly scraping along his scalp.

If he died right now, he'd die a happy man. 

She moans and sighs softly, and Seth (and his ego) wants to hear her scream. He motions her to lay down as he nips at the crook of her neck. He kisses down between her breasts, licks into her bellybutton, and scrapes his teeth along hip bone.

When he gets up and moves toward her feet, Kate lifts her head with a confused look. "Seth, what are you doing? Come here."

"Trust me," he says while he grasps her foot around the ankle, running a finger along the sole. She flinches, almost dislodging her foot from his grip. "Ticklish?" he asks with a smirk. 

"No," she insists, trying to pull her foot away from him, properly this time. 

He slowly brings her leg back towards him; she reluctantly lets him. His eyes are on hers the entire time; her look is both defiant and curious. He's going to enjoy this.

He quickly nips at her ankle. "Hey," she says, flinching again. "Still not ticklish?" he teases. He must be grinning like a maniac because his cheeks are burning a little. She sighs deeply and does an exaggerated roll of her eyes. While she's a little distracted, he moves quickly to nip at the inside of her knee. She flinches again, and he laughs.

"Seth, I don't like being teased," she says with a pout to her lips.

"Okay, baby. I promise you'll like this bit," he assures her, shifting her legs wider and lowering himself towards her. 

But, because he's a bastard, he winks at her and bites her inner thigh. 

"Ow," Kate yells, shooting upright and backing away to the head of the bed. It happens fast; his brain still doesn't know what happened. 

"Kate," he asks unsure. He sees her rubbing her inner thigh. "I didn't like it," she says, shaking her head. The look on her face is of pure dismay.

"I... I," he stutters. He's never had complaints in the bedroom before. He knows what he’s doing. How the fuck did he get this so wrong? "I got carried away, okay. I'm sorry."

She nods and shifts towards him. Her hands travel from his cheeks to the back of his head. "It's fine, but can we rewind? Start again?" 

He nods quickly, relieved that she's not kicking him out on his dumb ass. 

She kisses him, softly, slowly, and he sinks into it easily. There is nothing better than kissing her. 

"Can I show you what I like?" Kate asks shyly, voice barely above a whisper. 

"Please," he begs, leaning over her to lower them onto the bed. This may actually turn out better than he thought.

"Condoms first," she says when he tries to kiss her again. 

He moves so quickly to get the condom from his wallet that he nearly trips over his shoes on the floor. 

"Careful," she says, laughing at his antics and climbing into the bed. "Hey, that condom is not expired, is it? I don't want a STD, Seth." 

"The condom is new, and I got tested recently," he states climbing into bed next to her. She pauses while taking off her bra. 

"Uhm, Seth, why did you have to get tested recently?" Kate asks.

"It's nothing," he dismisses. "I had a cheating ex, and I needed to be sure she didn't leave anything I don't want. It's fine." 

"Do you want to talk about," she starts.

"There are a million things I'd rather be doing with my mouth than talking about Sonja," he interrupts.

"Good," she pulls him down towards her and kisses him. 

She takes his hand in hers, and shows him exactly where to touch her. She moves their hands slowly and softly; even the little pinches she gives herself are soft and tender. He caresses her skin at every point. Her eyes are closed, and she’s biting her lower lip. And he watches her face, transfixed. 

He's rock hard, but refuses to do anything about it until she's done showing him how to get her off. 

She guides their hands down to her cunt, shifting so they both simultaneously slip a finger inside her.

"Fuck me," he breathes out, his forehead against hers, his breathing erratic. 

"I'm trying, I promise," she jokes while she moves his thumb to her clit, and gasping. 

"Kate," he pants, working their hands in earnest; she's given him back control and he's not messing up this time. Too soon, she's coming, and it's his name on her lips.

When she finally stills, she turns to him, her face flushed and lips dark. "Thank you," she says, and his fucking heart skips a beat.

"You're beautiful," he whispers.

She grins at him, big and bright, and so painfully beautiful. "You know, you have a really pretty smile," she says and then bursts out laughing. 

Who is this woman? 

He cups her cheek with his free hand and pulls her in for a deep kiss. "Condom," she interrupts, untangling herself from him, and leaning over him to get the wrapper. She really doesn't waste any time. 

"You're eager," he jokes.

"Shut up."

She makes quick work of the condom, she clearly knows what she's doing. Then she's motioning for him to come closer and sliding into his lap. He sits up slowly, wants to savour this moment with a beautiful woman in his arms. 

He tries to last as long as possible, thinking about dead kittens and old people. But she's riding him in earnest, scraping her fingernails at the base of his scalp, and nipping at his lips. He doesn't stand a chance. 

He comes hard when she pulls on his hair and bites him in the crook of his neck. 

"Fuck, Kate. You're amazing." He collapses on the bed

"You're welcome," she says with a wink and a small smile. She gives him a quick peck on the lips, and leaves to the bathroom while he disposes of the condom. 

He's a little nervous waiting for her to come back to bed. Kate is amazing. He has to think of a way to see her again before she leaves LA. Not just for sex, but he wouldn't say no if that's what she wanted. He is only a man. 

"I have to check out tomorrow," she calls from the bathroom. "Early. Actually, I need to be up again in about three hours."

She sounds so nonchalant. He feels like an idiot for being surprised. This was obviously only ever going to be a one-night thing. And he's probably used all his luck for tonight, staying any longer will probably ruin everything. 

He stands to get dressed when Kate comes back into the room.

"You're leaving?" she asks, walking back into the room, confused look on her face.

"Er, yeah," he answers. "You have to be up early, and I have a work thing tomorrow," he lies. 

"Uhm, okay," she says, slowly walking back to the bed. He grabs her arm when she's close enough. She looks up at him with a soft smile. She's giving him Bambi eyes again, and if he doesn't get out now, he'll probably never leave. 

He gives her a kiss on the cheek, lingering slightly.

"Seth," she whispers when he pulls away from her. 

"Take care, Kate," he interrupts before she can say anything else. 

He leaves without looking back.

\---------------------

Seth is startled awake by loud banging on his bedroom door. He tries to ignore it and get back to his dream. His dream about Kate, where he doesn't leave her like a goddamn moron. Where he gets to taste her sweet cunt, and fuck her senselessly.

"Jefe," Lalo yells over the knocking. "You gotta get up. Gonzalez is here."

Seth groans and rolls over in bed.

"Seth. I know you're awake. Come on, he brought the new recruit."

What.

Seth shoots up out of bed and pulls open the door. 

"Morning, Boss," Lalo greets. He's smiling happily, and Seth wants to punch his goddamn teeth in. 

Lalo clears his throat, when he realises that Seth is not in the mood for jokes. "Sorry jefe. But Gonzalez needs to see you," he says, handing Seth a cup of steaming coffee. 

"We're not getting a new recruit," Seth says bluntly, taking a sip of coffee. 

"Well, she's already downstairs," Lalo says with a shrug.

"She?" Seth asks.

"Yeah, she's real pretty too. And graduated top of her class. Get dressed, and see for yourself."

"Shit," Seth mumbles, setting down his coffee and dressing in whatever is lying around. It is too early for this shit, and he does not have the patience for a new recruit. What the fuck is Gonzalez thinking?

"Come on, man. You're not meeting the queen," Lalo teases from his doorway.

Seth glares at Lalo, while he finishes buttoning his jeans. 

"Fine," Lalo says, hands up in surrender. "I'll wait for you downstairs."

Seth grabs the cup of coffee on the way out of his bedroom. He can hear laughing downstairs. He groans. A new recruit is only going to further complicate his Richie situation. He has to figure out a way to get Gonzalez to reconsider, or somehow make the newbie quit. That shouldn't be too hard. He's insufferable to most people, even ones he likes. He can find a way to make her quit and ask to get reassigned. It'll be for her own good anyway. This assignment is a shit show. She'll thank him at the end of it.

"Seth, finally," Gonzalez greets when he finally reaches the ground floor.

"Freddie, we're not taking on a new recruit," he states firmly.

"Not your decision, Cabrón. This comes straight from Venganza."

"I don't care who," he starts. But Freddie isn't listening to him. 

"Kate," he hears Freddie call, walking towards the kitchen.

Kate? It can't be. Seth walks into the kitchen, and stands frozen when he sees Kate. The woman from last night; the one he's been dreaming about. 

"Seth, meet your new teammate. Special Agent Kate Fuller."

Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate adjusts the cuffs of her shirt again and laughs at her obvious nervousness. Sitting at the designated bus stop and patiently waiting for her training officer, has her all but coming out of her skin. She starts tapping her foot, because her body has to move and release this pent-up energy.  
She quickly stops when the woman next to her grunts in irritation. She mouths a quick 'sorry', but she cannot seem to sit still. She actively reminds herself not to bite her fingernails like she used to when she was a kid. She moves her hands so that she can sit on them and she starts tapping her foot again.

She needs to focus her mind somewhere else or she's going to drive herself crazy... and maybe get into a fight with the angry woman sitting next to her. She considers revising the FBI guidelines for undercover fieldwork. She mostly has it memorised - because she can't be seen with an FBI handbook if she's going to be an undercover agent - but some frequent revision couldn't hurt.

She tries going over simple definitions, but every time she closes her eyes, her traitorous brain supplies her with snapshots from last night: Seth's square jaw, his cute butt, his ridiculously long eyelashes. Kate unwittingly sighs out loud as she thinks about him, and the woman next to her grunts and gives Kate obvious side-eye. Kate shifts further away and tries to use her suitcase as a buffer between them. She still cannot believe that she had a random hook-up last night. She was simply feeling nervous about her first assignment. But sex with a stranger? Who she picked up in a bar, and has a tattoo no less? She closes her eyes again and her brain supplies her with a quick flash of Seth's toned, tattooed bicep.

Kate groans out loud.

She opens her eyes to find everyone at the bus stop staring wide-eyed at her. Kate wants to hit her head against the nearest hard surface.

A black sedan pulls up in front of the bus stop and a man, wearing a black Stetson and aviators, steps out from the driver's seat. He scans the people at the bus stop, as he walks around the car. "Kate?" he asks while looking straight at her. Her answer catches in her throat, so she simply stands and nods as she walks over to the car. He helps her load her suitcase into the boot, and motions to her to take the passenger seat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," she greets. "I’ve read a few of your case files after I got assigned to Graceland. I am really excited to be working with you."

"Oh no. I'm not your field training agent," he responds with a laugh. "I'm your team supervisor, Freddie Gonzalez. I'm only picking you up because I thought that it would be better if we had a chat before you got to the house."

"Okay," she answers slowly.

"And please, call me Freddie. Or Agent Gonzalez if you prefer. If the guys hear you calling me 'Sir', I'll never hear the end of it."

She nods to hide her discomfort. She read up as much as she could about her training officer, Special Agent Tom Savini. She wanted to be all caught up with his cases, so they could have something to talk about. She is not prepared to meet Agent Gonzalez. Does she remember reading a case file with an Agent Gonzalez?

"So, you'll be working with agents from other agencies," Agent Gonzalez says as they continue driving along the California coastline. "DEA and Customs, specifically. Graceland, however, isn't like our other flop houses. The agents in the house are largely focused on one case, the Los Culebras cartel."

"That is huge. They're the biggest distributors of heroin on the West Coast." Being assigned to a case like this, right after finishing at Quantico, it's every agent's dream.

"That and a few other things too. So, as you can imagine, the case is complex and dangerous. I mean, up to this point, the cartel has been impossible to infiltrate. They either pay off or kill anyone we could possibly use as a CI. We have to be careful if we have any hope of doing some real damage to their operation. We'll need you to limit your interactions with people outside the house, and lie to virtually everyone you meet."

"I understand, I'm ready," she responds quickly.

"I'm sure you are. But it's okay if you feel overwhelmed. Going undercover isn't like anything you expect, Kate. And this assignment specifically, it's going to require you to be... adaptable."

"I can be adaptable," Kate says confidently. She can do this. She's worked hard – graduated top of her class. This is an assignment of a lifetime. She may be getting heart palpitations from the nervousness, but there is no way she is giving up on this opportunity.

"All I'm saying is, don't be alarmed when things don't go according to the FBI rulebook. We're doing what we need to, to catch the bad guys. You need to remember that."

"I understand, Agent Gonzalez. I'm ready," Kate asserts again.

Kate tries hard to focus on everything that Agent Gonzalez is saying, about the origins of Graceland and about the agents living there, but her mind keeps drifting to thoughts about Scott and her parents as she watches the changing scenery around her.

She is ready for this.

She has to do this.

She smiles when she realises that they've driven down this road before. He's probably doing a version of a heat run, to make sure that they're not being followed. She can still smell the ocean, but she can't really figure out where she is at the moment. She should've paid more attention to their route.

"Full disclosure," Agent Gonzalez says after a little while. "We don't usually put a graduate on such an important case, right off the bat."

"So, no pressure?" Kate jokes.

"A little pressure is good for the soul, Agent Fuller. But, no, the real reason that you're here is that there was an incident in the house recently."

"Incident?" she repeats as she turns to face Agent Gonzalez and give him her full attention.

"Yeah. The Customs agent, who was assigned to Graceland, was murdered recently."

"Oh my God. H...How? What happened?"

"I have a contact at ICE, who says that evidence from the preliminary investigation seems to point to an illicit affair between her and the cartel kingpin."

Kate stays silent while she processes this information. She understands that the Los Culebras Cartel would be a difficult assignment, but a murdered double agent? This is insane.

"What? Wait, Amancio Malvado is dead?"

"Yes, he is. We've managed to keep it under wraps for now, while Customs completes its investigation. But their theory would explain some of the botched ops that we thought was based on good intel."

"Wow." It sounds like a plot line straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. "That is unbelievable, Agent Gonzalez."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Long story short, the house needed another agent and the bosses felt that someone new, with no prior affiliations, would be the best option."

"Do you think any of the other agents were involved?" Kate wonders out loud.

"You're quick. I can see why you got picked," Agent Gonzalez says with a smile. "No, there's nothing to indicate additional involvement, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Customs will give us more concrete feedback when they've concluded their investigation."

Kate nods in understanding, trying to imagine what would drive a federal agent to betray her country and literally get into bed with drug dealers.

"I know that this is a lot to take in, but Burt and the others will take care of you."

"Burt?"

"Oh, yeah. All UC agents get some sort of nickname at some point in their career. Most of them die down quickly, but someone started calling your training officer ‘Burt' a while ago, and it stuck. I don't think that we've called him anything else in years, actually."

"Why Burt?"

"Don't remember. You can ask him yourself because we're here," Agent Gonzalez announces as they pull up to a beautiful multi-storey house, right on the beach.

The house is like something out of movie. Kate cannot stop staring at the place that she almost doesn't see the smirk Agent Gonzalez has on his face. He taps his finger under his chin, and Kate realises that she's been staring with her mouth open. She closes her mouth promptly, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Welcome to Graceland, Agent Fuller," he says with a smile as they walk through the front door.

Kate's heart is racing and her palms are sweaty. The nervousness has reached a crescendo. She focusses on the feeling of sun on her skin, the smell of the ocean, and takes a deep, sobering breath. She can do this.

The interior is even fancier than the outside, and Kate bites her bottom lip to prevent herself from gaping like a goldfish. She realises that she's alone; Agent Gonzalez must have wondered off while she was distracted by the furniture and art. She hears footsteps coming down the hardwood staircase to the left of the foyer. It must be one of the agents in the house. She momentarily considers trying to find Agent Gonzalez first, but there’s no time.

She turns around and is confronted with a lean, muscular, very half-naked man on the staircase. "Errrr," she stutters.

"If you're lost, I think I can help you find what you're looking for?" he teases, giving her a flirty wink. And he's definitely contracting his abs as he slowly walks down the rest of the stairs.

"Oh Dios mío," says a female voice next to her. "Put some clothes on. You're scaring the new recruit," the woman scolds at man on the staircase.

"Kate, this is Special Agent Ximena Vasconcelos with the DEA," Agent Gonzalez says with a smile, as he comes to stand near Kate.

"Nice to meet you, Agent Vasconcelos," Kate greets.

"It's Ximena, and your pronunciation is exactly right. You fluent in Spanish?"

"No, not fluent," Kate admits. "But I get by."

"Well, we will need to work on that. You will need Spanish here. This place is a melting pot."

"I can help too," yells the man from the staircase as he disappears back upstairs.

"Get Burt while you're up there," Agent Gonzalez yells after him.

"That superstar is Lalo," Ximena says as Kate follows her further into the house. "He's a FBI Agent like yourself."

The house looks like it's largely open plan, with the kitchen, dining, and living rooms slightly separated by a short feature wall. Kate is immediately drawn to the giant windows that overlook a pristine section of beach. This place is seriously unbelievably. She gets entirely absorbed by the sight that the sudden presence of Agent Gonzalez startles her.

"Not too shabby for a flop house, hey?" he says.

"Yeah, I'll say."

"Show her around?" he asks Ximena as he starts walking back towards the kitchen. "Anyone else want a cup of Joe? Kate?"

"Yes, please. Black, one sugar," Kate answers.

"So, the common area is downstairs," Ximena says as she shows Kate around the house. "No guns are allowed here. Bedrooms on the first floor and no one without a badge is allowed up there."

The house is a lot larger than she first thought. Ximena shows her to rooms that seem to appear out of nowhere.

"Laundry's through there. Gym area down that corridor."

"This house is unreal," Kate admits. She's probably staring with goldfish mouth again, but she can't seem to care.

"And here, we have the phone room."

"This is where you'll make all your UC calls," a voice behind them says. "I'm Lalo. I'm sure Xi has told you all about me."

"Oh, I almost didn't recognise you with so much clothing on," she jokes, as they shake hands.

"Rookie's got game," he says as he grins widely.

"She did score a 1700 on her practical," Ximena interjects.

"No way. 1700?” Lalo asks in complete disbelief. “What, you some kind of savant?"

Kate grins so hard that her cheeks are burning. She tries to keep a straight face as she says, "No. I'm just that good."

"All right, rookie. I see how it is," Lalo says when he hears Ximena laughing. "That wardrobe screams undercover, by the way. You're going to need some new threads, some shorts, flips, and lots of sunscreen. Or your white ass gon' burn."

Kate looks at her jeans and t-shirt, and glances at Ximena, who nods and says, "Yeah. We'll do a shopping day soon."

"Good, you're all here. You must be Kate," says a new man in the doorway. "I'm Burt. I'm sure Ranger Tightass has told you all about me."

Kate mouths "Ranger Tightass?" to Ximena, who tips an imaginary hat, leaving Kate laughing.

"Ranger Gonzalez, I mean Agent Gonzalez, mentioned you a little on the ride over," Kate stutters. "I've read up on some of your old cases. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir. I look forward to working with you."

"Wow, easy there, Kid. I already agreed to Burt; it's not Sir."

"He also doesn't like Boss."

"Or Old Man."

"Okay, joke's over, children," Burt yells over them. "Has Kate been caught up on how we do things here?"

"You're working on the Los Culebras cartel, almost exclusively," she says quickly.

"And with that, comes certain..."

"Agent Gonzalez said that I need to be adaptable and I told him that I'm ready."

"Fine. Also, while it's just us, has anyone told her about our special housemate?"

"Waiting for you, Old man."

"Strike two, hermano," Burt says to Lalo as he mimes cutting his neck. Lalo raises his hands in surrender, and takes a seat at one of the tables.

"Kate, you should take a seat too."

She glances at Ximena, who offers Kate the seat next to her.

"Freddie was being optimistic when he said that you'd need to be 'adaptable'," Burt starts. "I've read your file, so I know that you probably know that FBI manual backwards. Yes?"

"Not backwards," she laughs.

"Well, you'll need to forget almost all of it."

Kate laughs, because, he's obviously joking. Only, no one else is laughing with her.

"Kate, have you heard of the Gecko Brothers?"

"Yes, of course. Richard and Seth Gecko. Bank robbers, from Texas I think, from a few years ago. The one tried to break the other out of police custody. I think Richard managed to escape, but Seth is still in jail. I'm not clear on their link to the cartel."

"There is no historical affiliation," Burt says while he peruses the filing cabinets in the corner. "You see, the cartel is immensely secretive and paranoid and we've been unsuccessful making any inroads before. Trying to wire agents and ensure appropriate surveillance during sting ops was just too risky. So, we got creative."

Burt hands her a file from the filing cabinet.

"Is that what we're calling Seth now, 'we got creative'?"

Everyone around her starts laughing at Lalo's joke as Kate flips through the file, hoping it will explain what is going on. The file gives a brief summary of Seth Gecko - from Kansas City, robbed a few banks with his brother Richard. She's glad that she remembered the basic details about them. She flips to the front page, and sees a small note attached that just says 'FBI informant'. Kate does a double-take on the ID photo stapled to the right corner of the page.

Seth.

It's Seth.

In the photo, he looks younger, his hair is much shorter and he's clean shaven. But it's unmistakable. The Seth from last night, is Seth Gecko, a wanted criminal who is now apparently a FBI informant.

This cannot be happening. There is no way.

"Seth is our Ace in the hole," Burt says as she continues to stare at the file. "He and by extension, his brother, have been working with us to take down the cartel. They let us get to the people that outsiders will never see and get things done that would ordinarily be outside the jurisdiction of federal agencies."

"I don't understand," she mumbles. She's still staring at the picture of Seth in the file. Her brain is stuck trying to process what exactly is happening.

"It's hard to understand at first, I know," Ximena says as she trying to catch Kate's eye "You'll learn soon enough."

"It's not that, er..." she stutters. "This doesn't look like Seth Gecko," Kate says, pointing to the picture in the file. "I've seen mugshots of the Gecko Brothers. I mean, this definitely looks similar, but this is not him."

"That was my idea," Lalo exclaims. "When I got assigned to Graceland, we'd go out and people would notice him, you know? Say he looks familiar."

"I still say that those women were trying to get lucky," Ximena mock-whispers to Kate.

"Anyway," Lalo says over her. "We got the IT nerds in the agency to flood various search engines and media with slightly altered pictures of the Gecko brothers. What does your Seth look like?"

"He's not my Seth," she answers defensively. "Oh, er," she tries to recover when she realises what he meant. She's not coming across very eloquently today. "He sort of reminds me of George Clooney."

"Hah! He hates that one the most," Lalo laughs. "Everyone called him Clooney for like a month."

"Where is our resident celebrity?" Burt asks. "Lalo, go wake him up."

"I am not the house gofer," Lalo says, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Besides, he only got in when I was getting ready for my surf this morning. He's probably not even human at this point."

"Hey kid," Burt says, "20 bucks is yours if you can get him to throw something at you."

"I don't have a death wish, old man."

"Lalo," Ximena says in a soft, soothing tone. "Tell Seth that it's Freddie who wants him and take a cup of hot coffee while you're at it. Besides, Seth is mostly show muscle, you could take him."

Lalo tries his best not to grin widely, but he fails spectacularly. "I know you're lying to me right now, Xi, but I appreciate it."

"Go get 'em, Tiger," Ximena tells Lalo as she bites her teeth suggestively.

Kate tries her best to smile normally, but she is freaking out on the inside. Seth is here. He's going to be in the same room with her and a group of federal agents.

"Coffee," Agent Gonzalez walks in with cup for himself and one for Kate.

Kate smiles in thanks. She's glad that she has something to both distract her, and buy her time to think about how she is going to handle this situation with Seth.

"Oh no. What did they do to you?" Agent Gonzalez asks Kate. She must not be that good at hiding her feelings.

"What? No. Nothing," she asserts quickly.

He looks at Kate longer than necessary, and while he's distracted, Burt steals his cup of coffee.

"Hey!"

Burt licks all around the rim of the mug and hands it back to Agent Gonzalez. "That's for last week, Ranger."

"You're a disgusting child," Agent Gonzalez scolds as he leaves the room with his cup.

"We have to work on your lying, Rookie," Burt has to shout as Agent Gonzalez starts yelling in Spanish on his way out of the room. "You're not going to last long as a UC with those skills."

"I'm okay. Really. It's just..." she stutters as she tries her best to stall answering. "This place is not what I expected," she answers honestly.

"Yeah, there's usually a very particular vetting process for agents assigned to this house, and honestly, Kate, you're a Type A personality. Type A's don't last long in Graceland. And before you try to argue with me, I've already read your file."

"Burt, take it easy," Ximena interrupts.

"I've read your file," he says over her. "You're clearly smart and capable, but that doesn't mean that this will be an easy fit for you, okay."

Her voice catches in her throat, and she simply nods in agreement. This day seems to be going from bad to worse, and saying nothing is probably her best course of action right now.

"Good, I need you to trust my judgement, even when you don't understand where I'm coming from."

"Yes, Sir. I mean Burt. Sorry."

"Don't listen to Burt, Kate" Ximena says with a supportive hand on Kate's shoulder. "I've seen your file too. You're going to be fine."

"How did you get to see the file?" Burt asks.

"You left it in the bathroom, Viejo."

"Whatever. Kate, listen. The point of this house, is so that you don't have to go through this alone. You need to trust us, okay?"

She nods again as she feels her stomach drop. She's already lying to them.

"He'll be down in a second" Lalo says, walking back into the phone room. "What did I miss?"

"Burt just being his charming self. Told Kate that she’s not going to make it here," Ximena explains.

"HAH!" Lalo laughs. "Already? He usually waits till after dinner to ruin the dreams of the young. Don't take it personally, Kate. He told me that I wouldn't last 6 months because I don't pay attention to detail. He never thinks that anyone can do this job."

"Whatever, I need to eat" Burt says with a wave of his hand. "You jokers coming or are you getting ready to braid each other's hair?" Burt says sarcastically as he leaves towards the kitchen.

Ximena leans in towards her. "I’d like to tell you that he grows on you, but he always finds a way to remind you that he's an asshole."

"Ximena, I..." she starts, before chickening out. "Is it wise to have him in the house?"

"Who, Burt?"

"She means Seth, Genius. Honestly, Kate. It's complicated. He's been a major asset to the case, especially in areas outside of..."

"The law?" Lalo says.

"Our jurisdiction," she says as she shoves him out of the room.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense at first, I know," Ximena continues. "But you'll understand sooner or later. Seth is his own class of asshole, but he's mostly growl and not much bite. He grows on you, but don't tell him I said that. Now, come on, let's see if we can get Freddie to cook us breakfast."

Kate decides that now will be the best time to tell Ximena about her night with Seth, and she quickly makes her way to the kitchen. She's about to speak, when she hears Agent Gonzalez call her.

And she stops dead still when behind him is Seth.

She can barely hear Agent Gonzalez over the rush of blood in her ears. Until this very moment, a part of her still believed - hoped - that she was mistaken. That she somehow remembered Seth incorrectly. She can't seem to get her brain to get her body to do something, anything.

At least he seems just as stunned to see her. She half-heartedly hopes that Seth can see her discomfort and that he speaks first.

"I know I'm easy on the eyes, Princess, but you gotta blink sometime."

Lalo does a spit take and nearly chokes on his drink, distracting her momentarily.

She turns back to face Seth and he looks unbelievably smug. What is he doing? There's no point pretending that they're strangers. She tries her best to stay calm and reveal nothing, but her brain is struggling to function.

"She broken or something? Any lights on in the attic? Freddie, I think you got sold a lemon." He is cold and acerbic. Why is he pretending not to know her? Did he know who she was before she got here? Kate's blood runs cold and she feels nauseous. Maybe he also found her file in the bathroom? Why else is he baiting her?

"You shut your mouth, Gecko."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"That was a little much, man."

She hears everyone yelling around her, but Kate is focussed on Seth. He's staring straight at her and his expression is unreadable except for his annoying smirk. This man is pathological.

She has to think of something to say. But until she knows for sure what Seth's game is, she'll take a cue from him.

Burt walks in from what must be the pantry with a ridiculous "kiss the chef" apron and a plate full of food. "What did I miss?"

"Oh," she answers before Seth can get another word in. "I was just meeting the infamous Seth Gecko. But I'm a little confused because..."

"You can't believe how good looking I am?" Seth interjects.

"No, I just...," she answers. "You're a lot shorter in person."

There's uproar around her as everyone cracks up laughing. She didn't think the joke was that funny; this must be related to some inside joke.

"Ohhhhh, you need some ice on that, Seth? Because you just got burned, son."

"Shut up, Lalo," he says dismissively as he was walks closer to her. "You're one to talk, munchkin," he says coldly. "What are you, barely above 4 feet?"

"And I'm guessing that you're under 6?"

"Okay, that's enough," Agent Gonzalez says as he tries to reinstate some sort of calm. "I don't know what is going on here, but you better watch yourself, Gecko."

"I can take him, Agent Gonzalez," Kate asserts. She's a federal agent of the US government, and she's had enough of his nicknames and shitty behaviour.

"Oh, can you now, Princess," he says turning back towards her.

"I am not your Princess."

"Enough. God, it's too early for all this bickering," Burt yells and nearly drops his plate of food.

"You sure about that?" Seth says to her, clearly ignoring Burt in favour of taunting her.

Burt throws Seth with half-eaten toast and Seth ducks quickly enough for the toast to miss him.

"And that's my cue to leave," Seth says as he rights himself. "Lalo, you're doing my chores for today. Katie-cakes, it's been a pleasure. Enjoy your stay."

Seth leaves back upstairs and everyone else stands around while silently staring at each other.

Lalo laughs awkwardly, and says "So, that was Seth, and he's an asshole." He follows Seth up the stairs and yells, "Jefe, I'm not doing your chores again."

"I am really sorry about that, Kate," Ximena says as she places her hand on Kates shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"It's not your fault. You warned me about him."

"I've never seen him like that before. Freddie, did he say something to you?"

"Xi, it's probably the Customs investigation," Burt answers.

"Wasn't he interviewed about it, yesterday?"

"You mean interrogated?" Lalo answers Agent Gonzalez as he jogs back into the kitchen. "Told you he hasn't slept enough to be human." Burt slaps Lalo hand as he tries to grab a piece of bacon from Burt's plate.

"On the table, you animal," Burt says as he grabs Lalo's arm and pulls him toward the dinner table by the window.

"Kate, are you okay?" Agent Gonzalez asks her. "Because I can come back after my meeting to check in on you."

"I'm okay. Thank you, Agent Gonzalez."

"We'll be fine. I'll take care of her... Agent Gonzalez," Ximena says as she places her arm over Kate's shoulder and tries to suppress a smirk.

"I changed my mind, Kate. Call me Freddie, rather," he says as he walks towards the front door. "Good luck with this lot, Kate. I'll pop in soon."

"Thank you... Freddie," she says awkwardly as she and Ximena see him out.

"Have you eaten already?" Ximena asks. "Burt makes a mean breakfast."

"Actually, can I put my bags down? And I think I'm skipping breakfast," she says rubbing her tummy dramatically.

"Everything okay?"

"Dodge takeout, I think," she lies. She needs to buy some time if she has any hope of talking to Seth and figuring out what is happening.

"You're the third door on the right, and the ladies is at the end of the corridor. You can't miss it."

"Thanks Ximena. I'll be back."

Kate makes it upstairs with her luggage easily. She puts her bags down in her room, which she is happy to see is fully furnished but completely bare of personal effects. She contemplates not going to confront Seth, but she knows that's a terrible idea. She's already kept quiet about this for too long. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, trying to calm her still racing heart.

"You're a piece of work, you know that!"

Her heart jumps from being startled. "What. What are you doing here, Seth?" Didn't she lock her door?

"What am I... What are you doing here?" Seth asks as he barges further into her room and into her personal space.

He's trying to intimidate her and she will not allow it. "Me? It's you. You're the problem here," she defends herself, standing her ground.

"Don't change the subject. What are you doing here? What does Venganza want from me now?"

"Director Venganza?” she asks, confused. “What does she have to do with this?"

"She recruited me to this place. She found me back when I was, what shall we call it, in a compromised situation. She offered me and my brother a good deal and I took it." He takes another step towards her. "Now you."

"Now me, what?"

"Confess. Did Venganza send you for me?"

"She's a Director of a West Coast department in the FBI. I doubt she even knows my name. How could she send me for you? Wait, Seth, why would she need to send anyone for you? You're not doing anything illegal are you?"

"You mean besides the unofficial activities I've been tasked to do by the Federal Bureau of Investigation?"

She slowly backs away from him, and almost on instinct tries to reach for her concealed gun.

Seth obviously notices. "Easy, Tex. It's nothing. I thought she sent you to find out if I had anything to do with Sonja."

"Sonja?" She thinks back to why that name sounds familiar. "That ex-girlfriend you mentioned?" Kate asks.

He lifts his arm to scratch at the base of his skull, and he looks almost embarrassed when he says, "Yeah, the one and only."

"Now I really don't understand. What is going here, Seth?"

"Take a seat, Kate. I can explain."

"I think that I'll stand."

"Fine." He sighs in irritation, then seems to relent and he takes a seat on the desk chair on the side of the room.

"What did Gonzalez tell you about the case you've been assigned to?"

"The basics. It's an important case. You're going after the Los Culebras cartel and their extended network," she answers. She decides to sit down on the bed opposite Seth. He seems a lot calmer now, and Kate wants to this situation to remain calm.

"And about the house?" he asks.

"Graceland? Seized from a drug lord a while ago. Named for all the Elvis paraphernalia that they discovered upon seizure. It's currently used to house undercover agents from different agencies, which promotes increased collaboration without bureaucratic red tape." She repeats what she remembers from her earlier conversation with Agent Gonzalez.

"You know, I didn't peg you for a egg head last night. Lalo says you graduated top of your class?"

He's smirking at her little. His early malice seems to have evaporated - he's almost like the Seth from last night.

She nodes slowly. Not sure what to else to do.

He's quiet for a little while, as if he's contemplating his next words. "Sonja was the Customs agent assigned to the house," he finally says. "And well,"

"Wait, the Customs agent who they found in... uhm, was actually working for the cartel?" she stutters.

"Well, not working for them. Just,"

"They think she provided the cartel with information that sabotaged this case."

"It's not that simple."

"Says the criminal."

"I'm a reformed bank robber."

"Criminal informant."

"Criminal Consultant," he corrects her.

"They found her dead with the cartel kingpin, both with multiple bullet wounds. Sounds pretty simple to me," she states firmly. Of course, he doesn’t understand how wrong this all is.

"Whatever. I'm not arguing with you about this. Anyway, Customs is still stuck doing an internal investigation, Paloma was sent to a safe house for a bit, and the agency apparently felt, given the general upheaval that accompanies regime change, that we needed another set of eyes on the case."

"Me."

"Yeah, you. So, when the girl from last night, shows up here, at a time like this, what was I supposed to think?"

She huffs a little at 'girl'.

"Coincidences don't just happen, Kate. Especially to people like me."

"Well, I wasn't sent here by Director Venganza. I have never met her."

He nods, but she's not convinced that he believes her. What else is there to say? She wasn't sent here for him.

"So, you didn't know then?" she asks again.

"Know what?"

"Who I was, last night."

"What? Fuck no. I may be a bastard, but I'm not a fucking bastard."

"Then what was with that joke about me being a lemon?"

"Kate, you were just staring at me. Everyone saw. I had to do something to snap you out of it."

"You joked that we were criminals."

"It was your idea to steal that bottle of whisky."

She drops her head into her hands, and asks the question that she can't seem to bring herself to ask.

"And Sonja? You said that you had nothing to do with it?"

"No, Kate. Of course not," he says quickly. "I may be a bastard, but,"

"'Not a fucking bastard', yes we have established that." She says as she sits up straight again, and just tries to breathe. "Why did you pretend not to know me?"

"Why did you?" he retorts.

"I don’t know, Seth. It's my first day on my first assignment and I've already slept with the CI. There is no official procedure for a situation like this. I do know that I have worked hard to get here, Seth. And I am not about to let a random hook-up with a stranger I picked up in a bar ruin my career."

"I picked you up."

"Oh, yeah. Nothing says 'your place or mine' quite like a beer bottle to the head."

"Hey, I already apologised for that."

"Regardless. This must be the worst first day on the job, in history. Oh my God, you told me last night that your brother's name is Richie. I'm such an idiot."

"You're not, an idiot, okay. Look, if it makes you feel any better, we can tell the team together. And I'll tell them that you didn't know who I was."

"I really didn't. Otherwise I would never,"

"Yeah," he interrupts her. "I'm a criminal. Of course not. I just have one favour - don't tell Freddie. Okay?"

"Why not Agent Gonzalez?"

"Gonzalez doesn't live in the house. He'll have to report it to the higher ups. There's no telling what they will do with that information."

He purposefully looks away from her when he says that, and Kate decides that it's probably best not to pry.

"Okay, that should be fine," she says. "I mean, we can definitely be professional and work together?"

"Yeah, last night was just a random hook-up anyway."

"Exactly, and it's not like I'm going to fall in love with you. It's a piece of cake."

"Well. Listen, you're going to need to quit ogling me if we’re gonna be professional, but I think you can handle that."

"Trust me, Seth. That will not be a problem."

He flexes his bicep on purpose, and she looks before she can stop herself.

"Yeah, piece of cake," he smugly answers.

Has he always been this full of himself?

"Kate, you still alive up there?" Lalo yells from downstairs.

"Yeah," she shouts back. "I'll be down in just a second."

"Give me a few minutes and we can go tell everyone," Seth says as he heads out of her room.

"I can do it myself."

"Kate, if you do what I tell you, when I tell you; you'll get out of this without any bumps or scrapes, okay?"

"Are you always this dramatic? They are not going to beat me."

"KATE!"

"ONE MORE SECOND."

"You better go down soon, or they'll storm your room."

"Yeah, I bet."

He hesitates at her door and says, "Look, I'm sorry about earlier, giving you so much shit. I guess I panicked when I saw you. Convinced myself that Venganza sent you to seduce me, or some bullshit."

"That's not how the FBI operates, Seth."

Seth gives a noncommittal huff as he walks towards the bedroom door. "You keep telling yourself that, Agent Fuller."

"Seth. This is going to be okay, right? Us working together?"

He pauses and turns back to her. He looks like he's going to say something but he decides against it. Instead, he looks her up and down, nods slightly, and says, "Yeah".


	3. Chapter 3

"You wanna tell me what you're up to now, or do I get to beat it out of you later?" Burt asks him the second Seth steps into the kitchen. Old man doesn't bother looking up from the stack of papers on the kitchen table. Seth checks that his exits are clear and briefly contemplates sneaking back upstairs, but between the commotion with Kate first thing this morning and his shower, he's hungry enough to risk it. In the corner of his eye, Seth spots - and dodges like a pro- a slice of bread aimed at his head. 

Seth turns back to Burt, who looks as if he hasn't moved a muscle. "What is your deal today, man?" Seth finally asks. "That's the second slice you've thrown at me. You know, there are starving children in Africa."

"Is that so?" Burt asks, tone drenched in sarcasm, and finally looking up at Seth and acknowledging his presence. "Well then, let's all quit our day jobs and go save the children. Shall we, Mother Theresa?"

"Colourful, Burt. Thank you." He should've known better than to expect an honest response from a moody Burt. Instead, Seth scans the counter and fridge for the breakfast leftovers. He steals a glass of Lalo's explicitly labelled OJ and does his best to throw together a decent meal, but he's come down too late for anything but scraps. "What the fuck crawled up your crusty ass, anyway?" 

"You did," Burt deadpans. "You agents with your crock-pot, master plans. Gonzalez giving me more shit to do for those dicks at Customs. And now the new agent, and that shit-for-brains brother of yours." 

"Okay, Burt. Easy there," Seth says going back to his breakfast.

"I'm sorry, Seth," he retorts. "Are my sources incorrect, then? Pray tell, are you and Richie not trying to take a shit on all my hard work?"

Seth freezes. He slowly looks up to find Burt staring at him, hands clasped together like an evil villain from an 80s action movie. "So, I take it you know about Richie?" 

"Yeah. Gonzalez told me all about it. Thanks for the heads up, by the way. I sure do love being out of the loop," Burt says, almost dismissively and goes back to mulling over the papers in front of him.

Seth waits for the other shoe to drop, but Burt goes back to ignoring him. As if Richie didn't just violate rule number one of their agreement with the feds. Burt continues ignoring him, even as Seth tries his luck and takes his plate to the table next to Burt.

Still nothing.

He's not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, but there must be something more coming beyond R-rated chastising. "So that's it then?" Seth finally asks, confused with the lack of swearing and general ramifications for their violations. "You're just changing the rules? Richie's banishment to Mexico is over?" 

"It wasn't a banishment, Drama Queen," Burt says snidely. "Keeping you two geniuses away from each other was the only way we could get the brass to sign off on this special arrangement. With Malvado is dead, all bets are off. We knew that all the little snakes would be slithering out of their nests. We figured that the Richie and the Mistress would find their way across the border sooner or later. It's more shit on my plate, but Gonzalez and I will figure out a way to deal with it."

Seth can feel himself relax. For once, something worked out in his favour. If everyone is suddenly cool with changing the plan, he's not going to complain about it. "Good to know. Good luck with that." Seth finally tucks into his food. If everything decides to work out for the Gecko Brothers, he may as well enjoy it. 

"The real problem," Burt continues, "is how to deal with the rookie."

"Yeah, the timing is not ideal, but she seems smart enough." He contemplates telling Burt about him and Kate. It'll probably be better coming from him. He just needs to find a good time to do it.

"That's not the issue," Burt says with a sigh. "The Bureau want's her in the field ASAP, as in she makes contact by the end of the week." 

"What? Even I know that's too soon. She seems smart but the cartel will eat her alive."

"Yeah. No shit, Sherlock." Burt steals a piece of fruit from his plate before Seth can stop him. How is he still hungry? 

"What's the deal, then?" Seth asks. "What with Malvado dead, we're now at Defcon 5?"

"You mean 1."

"Whatever." 

"But yeah, Defcon 1," Burt answers. "And now, I need to figure out a way to get my newly minted agent in the field with the most dangerous criminals, without getting her murdered."

"Then tell them 'No dice'. I've heard you say worse things to Freddie before."

"You don't think I tried that, Seth? There's supposed to be some chatter that the mid-level members are looking to use the chaos to carve out a bigger stake of the empire."

"Oh please," Seth says, nearly joking on the OJ. "That bunch of delinquents? They couldn't stage a coup if it came with an instruction manual."

"Yeah, well. Those are the orders. The brass may have intel we're not privy to." Burt pinches between his eyes as he puts down his pen and closes his file. He clasps his hands again and turns his head to look straight at Seth.

Uh oh.

"So, what I need to figure out," Burt says slowly. "What the hell is your deal with my agent, Gecko? The entire state of California heard that heated exchange this morning."

"There's no need to panic," Seth says, but stops when he sees the terrifying scowl on Burt's face. 

"Out with it, Fabio."

"I slept with Kate." Seth finally admits.

The scowl on Burt's face somehow seems to deepen and Seth is pretty sure that he doesn't blink for a full minute.

"Burt " he starts, when the silence gets uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. Did you just say that you had sex with my agent?"

"Please stop calling her your agent. I..." Seth starts again when Burt clocks him at the back of his head. 

"Ow! Shit."

"She just got here, you ingrate!" He mimics hitting him again, and Seth flinches on instinct.

"It wasn't today!" Seth says in his own defence, hands up and slightly cowering.

"Seth,"

"Look, okay," Seth interrupts, trying to clarify things before anything else gets out of hand. "We randomly met at a bar last night. We got a little drunk. She didn't know who I was."

"Obviously," Burt huffs out rather quickly. 

"Anyway," Seth interrupts. "You have nothing to worry about. It was a one-time thing. We already spoke about it. It won't happen again."

"Yeah, no shit. Because I'm re-assigning Special Agent Kate Fuller," Burt says, stealing another piece of fruit off Seth's plate. Seriously. Is there a black hole in place of where his stomach should be?

"What?" Seth asks, when his brain catches up to what Burt said. "No. You can't do that."

"Oh, yes. I can and I will," Burt interrupts before he's made his argument. "And, it solves half of my problems. Besides, I'm not trusting you to keep your libido and 'little Seth' in check." Burt is circling his index finger around his crotch until Seth swats his hand away.

"Firstly, there is nothing little about me, Old Man. And secondly, don't be dramatic. You don't need to re-assign her." 

"Yes, I do. I can't have you unduly influencing my agent's loyalties."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with me and Sonja."

"Not my agency, not my problem."

"Burt, you can't, okay. This case is a big deal for her."

"This case is a big deal to us all, Genius. That's why I can't risk anymore fuck ups."

"Burt," he says earnestly while trying to catch his eye. Burt's a lot of things, but he's not a monster. He'll see reason. "Getting re-assigned this soon, could ruin her career... she'll never forgive me."

Burt scowls. Again. The stare he gives Seth is... unsettling. "Well, fuck me sideways. You have got to be kidding me. You like her, don't you? She gave you feelings and now you wanna hold her hand and dance in the moonlight." 

"Shut up," Seth yells. "It was one night. I don't like her." 

"Sure thing, Sally."

"You're a child. And another thing, this isn't the 50s, Old Man. Calling someone a girl's name is no longer an insult."

Burt stares back at him, expressionless, then starts packing up the papers around him.

"Burt, come on. Don't be a dick. She doesn't deserve this and you know it," Seth pleads. He promised Kate that everything would be okay. He can't fuck this up for her. 

"Don't grow a conscience on me now, Gecko," Burt grunts out. 

"Burt," he tries again.

"God, fine. Your contrite face is worse than your usual smug mug. I was thinking of making her see the Bureau shrink anyway, given her accelerated timeline. As long as she goes regularly and you keep little Seth in your pants, she can stay, okay. Happy now?"

"You are a God among men, Burt," Seth says. He's fucking relieved that Burt won't be forcing Kate out. 

Burt grabs the last of his papers and clears his plate from the table. He pauses and turns back to Seth. "Kate isn't going to be a problem for you, is she?"

Seth scoffs loudly. Seth Gecko doesn't do feelings after one night with some broad. "Trust me. I'll be fine."

"Normal people say 'thank you', by the way," says Burt on the way out of the kitchen. 

"I'll have Lalo set up a shrine in your honour," Seth shouts after him.

Seth chuckles while he takes his phone out to call Richie. 

"Seth, I'm busy. What?" 

"Hello to you too, Richard. Are you having a pleasant day?"

"Seth. What is it?" 

He's still too curt for his liking, but Seth's in a good mood, so he'll let it go. 

"Burt knows about you and her highness, so you can stop your master plans, Richie." 

"That's great, but I'm dealing with something else right now. So, if you don't mind." 

Richie sounds frantic distracted instead of his usual annoyed distracted. Seth doesn't like it. "Wait, Richie," he asks. "What is it? The mistress change plans on you and decide that she wants the throne?"

"Don't call her that, and this has nothing to do with Kisa."

"Yeah, like I'd believe that again," he scoffs. Since the day they met her, every fuck-up involving him and Richie has had to do with Kisa.

"Seth, I don't have time to deal with your insecurities."

"Richard, I swear to God. If you don't tell me..."

"Fine, okay," Richie interrupts. "We've been summoned by the powers that be. Narcisso's got this big plan to expand the drug business that I think hinges on rival territory. And Carlos, well you know Carlos, he's paranoid that Kisa's going to leave now that Malvado is dead. So, he's definitely up to something."

"Well, won't she? I'm surprised she's stuck around this long."

"It's..." Richie stutters.

"Complicated, yeah. You say that every time. Richie, listen," he tries.

"Look, Seth," Richie interrupts. "I really gotta go. I'll call you later."

"Richie don't..." he starts while Richie hangs up on him. Again. 

Son of a bitch.

He nearly throws his phone against the wall but decides to text Richie instead. If he calls and Richie hangs up on him again, he may just murder his brother.

[Seth]: Richie, I need you to get your giant head out of your ass and call me back! We need to talk. 

He watches his phone for a few minutes, willing Richie to respond.

[Richie]: I'll be at the old place at 4.

"Seth! We need you in here," Ximena yells from the other room. Seth eats what's left of his impromptu breakfast and joins them in the living room.

"This is the last of it," Lalo says, walking out of the phone room, giant box in hand. There are at least five other similar looking boxes scattered around the room, all overflowing with paper work.

Burt start sifting through some of the boxes, picking files as he goes. "Nope, Seth can't see these."

"Yeah, there's no way you need me for this," Seth says, aiming to get out of whatever this is as soon as possible. 

"Come on, man," Lalo says. "We have to start briefing Kate on the case."

"Yeah, Seth," Ximena adds. "We need your sharp criminal mind to help craft a suitable character for Kate." If he didn't know Ximena well enough, he'd think she was sincere. She really knows how stroke a man's ego to get what she wants.

"Do I get a say in any of this?" Kate asks, some random file open in the hands. 

"Not exactly, Rookie. Your job is mostly to smile and wave while the grownups play God," Lalo says, giving her another few files to review.

"Sounds fun," Kate deadpans.

"Can we move this along, please?" Ximena asks, taking a seat at one of the couches. "I have things to do today."

"Which reminds me," Lalo says leaning over to whisper to Kate. "Chore wheel is on the fridge. Where it's written 'Sonja' or 'Paloma', I want you to think 'Kate'."

"Sure thing," Kate agrees easily. 

Lalo catches Seth's eye and gives him a wink. Kid is enjoying having a rookie in the house way too much.

"Oh, Paloma's being released from the safe house, today," Burt says, placing a number of files out on the coffee table.

"So soon? Is that wise?" Ximena asks, sitting up in the couch, suddenly interested.

"She'll be under house arrest here for a while, just to be sure," Burt answers. "But the Bureau is confident that her cover is still intact." 

"And she's a complete pro," Lalo says, placing his arm on Kate's shoulder and whispering to her again. "She'd never come back this early if she thought there was any issue with her cover."

"Cuidado, mi amor. The new agent may think that you are interested in me or something."

They all turn to find Paloma standing at the entrance. She must've snuck in while everyone was busy arguing. She looks great - in a yellow sundress, with fancy Ray bans, her hair loose and a mean smirk on her lips. She's basically a Cover Girl model.

"You look well rested," Seth says, while the rest take their time finding their tongues. He forgot how much Paloma enjoys making an entrance. 

"I am, thank you. You look tired, Seth," she responds, walking towards him. She grabs his chin and makes a big show of twisting his head around, scrutinising his face. "Yes, you look like you have aged. Is that another grey hair?"

"Beat it, Kid" he says, swotting her crummy hands off of him. 

"Okay, Grandfather," she teases before turning to Ximena and saying, "Hey, sugar. What's shakin'?" 

"Oh, I have missed you" Ximena says as she envelops Paloma in a tight hug. 

Lalo rushes in and wraps both women in a tight hug. 

"It's not your turn yet," Ximena tries to muscle Lalo out of the way.

"I don't care. Paloma is back."

"Oh, I have missed you too, mi amor."

Seth huffs at their antics. He would throw up or at least gag at this point, but they're too involved in their hug to notice. He spots Kate and catches her eye. She smiles softly, and when she mouths something like 'should we leave' he unwittingly laughs out loud. 

"Yes, okay," Burt says clapping loudly. "Agent Gutierrez, welcome back."

"That is the nicest thing you have ever said to me, Burt. I am touched. Can I have a hug, por favor?"

"Get the fuck out of my face, hippie," Burt says, brushing off Paloma's advances. 

"Oh, it is good to be home." Paloma turns her attention to Kate, extending her hand, and asks, "You must be the new Agent? Paloma Gutierrez. DEA." 

"Kate Fuller. FBI. Pleasure." 

"FBI, huh?" Paloma asks, more to the room than to Kate. "I was expecting someone from Customs." 

"According to Gonzalez, Customs hasn't officially finished their investigation," Lalo responds.

"What more requires investigating?" Paloma asks. "We all knew that Sonja had a past. Something must have made her desperate. End of story."

"They still don't know exactly how she died," Burt says simply, without much fanfare.

The room goes silent. Burt's revelation clearly stuns everyone. 

"But... I thought..." Lalo stutters.

"Look, none of this is official, so no one get their panties in a bunch," Burt says, hands waving in a placating gesture. "But new evidence suggests that the scene with her and Malvado was staged. That they weren't having an affair."

"But Agent Gonzalez said," Kate starts.

"Kate," Burt interrupts. "I think I have better intel than Freddie."

"What does this mean?" Ximena asks. She's back to her subdued, Federal Agent shtick. 

"Who knows. With all the conflicting information, I don't wanna hear anything until the final report is ready." Burt starts perusing some of the files on the table and ignores the blank stares around him.

"No. Fuck that," Seth basically yells. Burt can't just drop a bombshell like that and pretend everything is normal. "What does that mean? And why are you only telling us about this now?" 

"Easy, muchacho. I was only informed this morning. Besides, let's not talk about withholding information, shall we?"

Ah shit. This is what he gets for questioning Burt.

Everyone turns to look at him. 

"What does that mean?" 

"Seth?"

Seth hears everyone's questions, as he and Burt try to stare each other down. Old man is nuts if he thinks a little smug staring is going to make him cave. 

"Seth and I slept together," Kate blurts out suddenly. 

Shit. He forgot about Kate.

"Last night", she continues when the awkward stares continue. "We met a bar and we were drinking. I'm so sorry. I didn't know who he was."

"And Richie and Kisa are back in the country," Seth adds with a sigh. He may as well get everything out, seeing as it's the day of revelations apparently.

"I'm sorry. ¿Qué?"

"I take one short trip to a safe house and everyone goes crazy."

"¿¡Cómo!?"

"Lalo, when adults meet at a bar..." Seth starts, trying to diffuse the awkward tension in the room.

"I know how sex works," Lalo retorts quickly. 

"It has been a while, Guapo."

"Hey, Paloma. Whose side are you on?"

"Burt, are you okay with this?" Ximena asks. 

"Well," Burt says slowly, like he's considering Ximena's words.

Kate's been uncharacteristically quiet, so Seth chances a glance at her. It's clear that she wants to say something to defend herself, but she doesn't. She looks so awkward that he wouldn't be surprised if she keeled over from worry. 

"I have yet to speak to Agent Fuller, but I spoke to Seth and he says that it was a one-time thing," Burt says finally.

The smile on Kate's face is one of pure relief. She meets his eye and mouths a quick 'thank you'.

"And, as long as little Seth stays put, Kate can stay," Burt says giving Seth a playful slap on the cheek. 

"Hey. There is nothing little about me, Old man."

"Hah! Little Seth."

"Shut up, Lalo." 

"Gentleman, please," Ximena interrupts. "Can we please get back to the task at hand? If Kate is staying, we need to get her up to speed now, not later."

"It was a onetime thing. It's done now. I'm not going anywhere," Kate says confidently. 

"Sounds good to me," Paloma says, picking up her luggage bag. "I will need a few minutes to change out of my safe house couture and we can get this party started." 

\------------

It's like the universe is conspiring to make this the most painful day of Seth's life. He's already dealing with the kick in the balls coincidence with Kate, that revelation about Sonja - whatever the fuck he's supposed to do with that information - and whatever shit has Richie hanging up on him every time Seth calls. Now, he has to suffer through downtown LA traffic, the bane of all existence. You'd think with all the traffic in LA that people would be able to drive better, for fucks sake.

Seth tries Richie's cell for the millionth time and the damn thing is off again. He's already twenty minutes late for the meet-up and he's not sure Richie will still be there when he finally makes it through this literal hell on earth.

He nearly rear-ends the dumbass jock in the SUV who cuts in front of him. 

"Move faster, asshole!" he yells. 

He should've left sooner. He honestly tried to, but dumb Graceland protocol dictates that team briefings need to include everyone in the house. 

They got through the basics quick enough. Burt has their performance down to a tee and everyone has a role to play. Burt always first discusses the key players - each creepier than the one before - in the cartel and the current state of the RICO case - all built around that conveniently dead prick Malvado; Paloma covers the drugs; Lalo does guns and artillery; and Ximena summarises the trafficking operation. The rundown on he and Richie's 'advisory' role is left up to Seth to explain.

Kate however, came ready to learn with a 300-page notebook, vigorous note-taking and follow-up questions to everything. Total egg-head. 

Three hours later, when Lalo started explaining the teambuilding routine the agents have in the house, Seth saw his out and left. He was still early enough to make the meet with Richie, but then he hit the traffic from Hell and now Richie's fucking phone is off.

He finally takes the turn down the street with the park and he spots Richie sitting on the park bench, sketching in his notebook and oblivious to the world around him. The dead phone makes sense now; Richie doesn't like being disturbed when he's sketching. Seth circles the block a few times and parks down a random side road. He passes a food truck and decides to buy a box of Mexican food and horchata. 

He checks his phone while he waits for the food and sees a number of messages from Lalo.

'Dude. First Sonja, now Kate! Seriously? How.'

'But seriously. How.'

'Seth'

'SETH!'

Richie finally spots Seth walking towards him, but he quickly goes back to sketching.

"So," Seth greets when he gets to the bench. It's the first time he's been face to face with Richie in months and Seth was expecting a better reception. 

"Hey," Seth says, snapping his fingers as he takes a seat opposite Richie. "Pay attention. I got you horchata."

Richie grunts in agreement but continues sketching in his book. Seth tries to peek over to see the book, but Richie pulls it back and covers his sketch with his free arm. 

Richie has never been overly forthcoming with his sketches but he's never been this secretive either. He manages to sneak a peak, and it the sketches look like Richie's busy planning something. And now that Seth looks properly, he knows that something is wrong. His hair isn't combed, his shirt is rumpled and Seth definitely sees dark circles under Richie's eyes. Richie is acting extra twitchy. He's mostly hunched over his notebook, but he keeps trying to stare at his surroundings from the corner of his eye. 

"Richard?"

"Something's coming," Richie whispers, ominously.

"Something's coming. What?"

"And you and the rest of them are just a bunch of sheep sleep walking into the slaughter," Richie says out loud to no one in particular.

"Buddy, you're not making any sense."

"I'm not crazy," Richie snaps, but he's finally looking up from his notebook and at Seth. "You don't understand. I can make it work. All I need is more time, and I'll figure out a way for all of us."

"All of us? Richie, we already have a deal in place. And there's a plan B if the..." he looks around to make sure that no one is in hearing distance, "Feds don't hold up their end of the deal." 

Richie waves him off as he closes his notebook and picks up a burrito. 

And that's when it hits Seth. "This is about her, isn't it?" Seth asks, but he already knows the answer. "Richard, I am not letting you go down because of that..."

"Don't," Richie interrupts. "Whatever you're going to say about her, don't."

"Oh, do you like being that succubus's slave, huh?" Seth knows they should keep the volume down, but he's too pissed off to care.

"I am not her slave."

"Then what are you?"

"Your brother, Seth," Richie yells.

It takes Seth by surprise, and he stares at Richie blankly.

Richie takes a deep breath before continuing at a softer tone. "I'm your brother. And if you just trust me, I swear that I can make this work. We can have everything we always dreamed of." 

"Oh, you wanna know what I've been dreaming about, now?" he jokes, but Richie doesn't seem to hear him. "Richard, remember what Uncle Eddie said about jobs that go bad: 'Adjust if you must, but you stick to the plan, Stan'. And this is not the plan. You know that."

"I have to get Kisa out too, Seth. I won't ruin things for you, but the Feds won't allow it and,"

"Richie, look. I know you never get over your first."

"She's not my first."

"Yeah, I know that," Seth responds. "That's not... Look, I'll talk to Burt. I'm sure we can work out a plan"

"It's not going to work. She killed Malvado, Seth. I helped her cover it up."

"You what?" he asks, stunned. Of all the dumbass situations Richie has landed himself into, this one takes the fucking cake. "Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Richard. What the hell were you thinking? Why would... Wait, if you and Kisa were responsible for Malvado, then you've been the States for weeks." 

Richie makes a non-comittal shrug that only makes Seth's blood boil.

"Richie. What the hell is going on with you? You were supposed to be low profile, in Mexico."

"Whatever, Seth."

Richie's fucking indifference has Seth this close to clocking him right in the face. When Richie goes back to his doodles, Seth finally starts processing Richie's words from earlier.

"Richie, did you kill Sonja?" Seth asks, fucking calmly given the fucking shit-storm of shit they're now in.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"No, Seth. I did not kill her."

"So, Sonja just magically dropped dead in that murder scene you staged. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Seth, I didn't kill her. But Sonja wasn't supposed to be there either."

"Richie, what the fuck? A Federal agent is dead. Customs is out for blood. If they find out..."

"No one's going to find out, Seth. We cov..."

"Covered it up. Yeah, I heard you the first time. I just don't understand how the fuck you let that she-demon trick you into..."

Seth sees Richie obsessively scribbling in his notebook again. It reminds him of when they were little runts, and Richie turned to sketching to help him make sense of the world. He forgets that sometimes, Richie's still that scared, little kid. Everything Richie does, comes from a good place, because all he wants to do is take care of the people he loves. Which, to Seth's dismay, includes unsavoury she-demons. 

"Look, okay," Seth tries to placate. "I'll talk to Burt, we'll come up with a Plan C. Richie, whatever this is, whatever is happening, we can get through it. Together. I just need you to promise me that you’ll hold off on your plans until I talk to Burt, okay?" 

Richie stares at him blanking, but doesn’t immediately say No. 

“Richie,” he tries again.

“Fine, Seth.” 

Seth extends his hand, for Richie to shake. "The Gecko Brothers are back, you son of a bitch. And hey, that is a beautiful thing, brother."

Richie smirks while they perform the handshake. 

"Now, enough scheming, put down your pen and eat your food."

Richie finally closes his book and tucks into a chicken taco.   
_____

It's dark out by the time Seth gets back to the house. The house is in darkness and he doesn't see anyone around. If he knows Lalo and Paloma, they've planned a barbeque and are already busy setting up on the beach. 

Good. He's not in the mood for people anyway; his head is still pounding from his talk with Richie. Seth knows better than to think that Richie will suddenly stop his scheming just because he was told to. He has to figure out a way to fast-track this operation so Richie doesn't have a chance to do anything more stupid.

He makes it to his room without incident. But seeing Sonja's room on the way... Fuck. How the hell did Sonja get herself involved with Malvado and he didn't know about it? 

He contemplates going for a drink at the bar instead of his usual run but spots his trainers in the corner and decides that sweat and muscular exertion is his best chance of getting out of his own head. He dresses quickly and, on the way down, checks the fridge for a cold bottle of water.

"Oh, hey. You're back!" Kate pops into the kitchen out of nowhere. "You're going for your run? I can get changed in a second."

"What?"

"The team-building, Seth. Burt said we're meant to do activities together, you know. Build camaraderie, learn subtleties of each other's body language. Lalo says you go running at night."

"I'm not really part of the team, Princess. I run alone."

"But Burt said..." she starts.

"Do you always have to do everything you're told?" 

She looks taken aback by his comment. He didn't mean it to sound harsh. 

"Fine," he relents. "But hurry up."

She takes literally two minutes to change and is at the door in a flash. Rookies. Always so eager and energetic. "No talking and keep up. I'm not waiting for you."

He starts off hard and, like the previous night, Kate's fitness level surprises him. It makes sense now, of course, but he's still surprised. She keeps pace with him easily. He can hear her panting loudly, but she doesn't say a word of complaint. 

But, because he's a bastard, he takes them on a route with an unnecessarily long flight of stairs.

It takes Kate a few seconds to catch up to him when he reaches the top of a particularly long flight. When he catches her eye, she's noticeably flushed, panting and out of breath. 

"You wanna head back already, Rookie?" he asks, only half-smug. He can't let her know that he's impressed with her. 

"No," she pants out quickly. "I can go on. I just need a minute. I'm a little stiff from the training this afternoon."

"With Paloma or Ximena?"

"Both. Started with the kick-boxing and ended with the ballet lesson."

"On your first day?" he asked. He remembers that first ballet lesson they made him do. He felt like a complete fucking moron but after, muscles he didn't know he had were burning for days on end. "They're really putting you through your paces, Rookie. We should head back. You should bed-ridden right about now."

"No, Seth. I can do this. One more minute. Please." 

She smiles when he nods in agreement. She turns away from him, lifts her foot on the stair railing and bends over to stretch her hamstrings. Obviously, a group of men walk by and shamelessly stare at her ass. Fucking pigs.

Seth shifts slights to try to block their view of Kate, but she suddenly stands upright and seems surprised at how close he now is to her. 

"Er, sorry," he mumbles as he steps back, and moves to the other side of the railing to do his own stretches. 

"You wanna talk about it?" she asks while stretching her quads. "You've been extra broody since you got back from seeing your brother."

Seth scoffs. He is not broody.

"I know how difficult sibling relationships can be," she says softly, barely above a whisper.

"Key tip, Princess. If I'm not in the mood to talk, I'm definitely not in the mood for a therapy session."

"Fine," she says simply, turning away from him to stare at the ocean from this vantage point.

He's about to say they should head back when Kate speaks again.

"Look. The last time I saw Scott was maybe five years ago... When I took our dad off life support." 

He's speechless as she briefly pauses before continuing.

"Scott hated me for it. He probably still does, assuming he's still alive. He, err, didn't really have good people around him when he disappeared, so. Anyway, all I'm saying is that I understand complicated siblings."

"Why... are you telling me this?" he asks because he can't think of anything better to say.

"I don't know," she says turning back towards him. "I wanted you to know that you can talk to me. I thought the point of the house was that we could share things with each other. That we're a team." 

"I'm not your team, remember."

"But you're not alone either, Seth. Whether you want to admit it or not, we're better together. That makes us a team." 

"Okay, short-stuff. No therapy session, remember."

She rolls her eyes dramatically but doesn't chastise him for the insensitive nickname. Instead, she folds her arms over her middle and hunches over slightly. She suddenly looks so small and vulnerable. Her confession clearly wasn't an easy thing for her to admit, and now he feels like he's kicked a puppy. 

"I'm sorry about your dad and brother," he says, honestly. Because, fuck. He of all people understands tragic family history. 

"Thanks,” she responds with a small smile. “But, it's fine, really. It was a long time ago. You, err, still don't want to talk about Richie, huh?"

He shakes his head, because it's easier than physically saying 'no' to her. 

"Okay" she replies. "But, for the record, you can talk to me. If you ever need to. I mean, I already know things about you that I'm not going to tell anyone. So..."

"You what now? You know things about me?" he asks.

"Well, you know what I mean." The blush in her cheeks - that's definitely not from the run - becomes more noticeable. She leans towards him and whispers, "You know, like, I've... seen your sex face." 

"My what?" he asks, nearly joking on his water. 

"Shut up. Don't laugh at me," she yells, barely managing to contain her own smile. "You know what I'm talking about. And for the record, I'll never tell anyone."

"God, Kate. Please stop blushing. Can you seriously get redder?"

"I am not blushing."

"I can see your rosy cheeks in the moonlight." 

"Shut up," she says, rubbing her cheeks as if that will help things. "No, you can't."

Seth looks at her, trying to contain his smug smile but failing spectacularly.

"If you tell me I'm cute when I blush, I'll murder you in your sleep, Seth."

"Eager to get back into bed with me, huh, Princess?" he teases.

"Murder, Seth. I know where you sleep." She's trying to sound intimidating, but the smile on her lips gives her away. 

Before he can speak, she yells out, "I hate you. I'm going back."

"Wait, Kate," he says to stop her from leaving. It is not her fault that he's in a crappy mood; it's been a long day for her too. "So, is your first assignment everything you ever dreamed about?"

"It's... Not what I expected," she says with a sigh.

"Didn't expect working with a bunch of freaks, huh?"

"They are not freaks," she grumbles.

"Well, they're not normal."

"I just... don't know... "

"Yeah?" he asks, when she trails off.

"... I don't know how I fit in here," she says softly.

"Kate, from what I've seen, it's because you're a good agent. You'll fit in just fine."

"Thanks, Seth," she says with a bright smile. 

"For what it's worth," he continues. "I don't talk about my brother. With anyone. Ever. But, uhm, if I need to, I'll find you.

"I mean, unless you're already in my bedroom," he jokes quickly.

"Urgh. Barf," Kate yells, pretending to gag.

"While thinking about my sex face."

"You're the worst. I'm leaving," she says, turning around. "Try not to trip and die on the way back.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be the first half of the forth chapter, but the second half is becoming a monster. Scenes keep popping up without my consent. Also, work has been kicking my ass and I probably won't get a chance for writing until after the new year. So, posting this bit now - even though not much happens. I'm getting there. Plot is hard.

Kate plants the surfboard into the beach sand and collapses next to it. She has never been this tired. Ever. Surfing is exhilarating; she can see why people spend hours on their surfboard in the ocean. The rush she got after catching her first wave - like she's flying - is a feeling that she will never forget. But, in all honesty, it's not enough to force her to stay out in the ocean forever. When her arms start to burn and cramp from use, Kate gives up and returns to shore. 

Kate relishes the stillness of solid ground and the feeling of the cool sand below her. She rests for a minute before slowly sitting up, partially unzipping her wetsuit and wrapping her towel around her. She scans the multitude of surfers on their boards and easily finds Lalo, Paloma and Ximena. She's already able to pick them out of any crowd. 

After about a week of observation and bonding time, Kate has a basic idea of how everyone in the house works together. 

Lalo is everyone's favourite. He's always the first one up for an early morning surf, and he always makes sure there's a fresh pot of coffee and some sort of breakfast on the table. He never says no to helping someone out around the house. His constant, cheerful mood is contagious. 

Paloma is all about precision and accuracy. It's obvious, in her movement and posture that she's a professionally trained ballerina. She's also a neat freak - nothing in her surroundings can be out of place. She's the main reason that the house looks as spotless as it does all the time. She's always singing and humming around the house when she tidies. It's obvious how she was able to go undercover as the main performer at the Twister. 

Ximena's been harder to figure out. She can be both sweet and wickedly sarcastic, but she does a complete 180 when it comes to work. She's also very secretive about her personal life. While the others share stories from their past, Ximena usually remains silent. 

Burt is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Kate can see why Ximena and Burt get along very well. He is their stoic, grumpy, fearless leader, who says nothing and reveals only what he believes it is necessary for others to know.

Somehow, through all the madness - Kate has no idea how any of them get any real work done - Kate's managed to find her place in the house routine. 

Even her relationship with Seth is starting to resemble some sort of normal. She has to remind herself that he's a criminal because Seth in the house is nothing like the criminal from the manila folder with his record - abusive childhood, co-dependent relationship with Richie, heroin addiction, and a few mug shots from his multiple arrests. He pretends to neglect his chores, but he's always randomly fixing something that broke around the house. He teases Lalo a lot, but it's clear that they've formed a special camaraderie.

He's nicer to her than when she first showed up at the house. Their evening runs have become more about the exercise and less about her cardiovascular torture. He occasionally shows up to her other team building sessions - he's always late and he makes jokes constantly. What she hates the most is that he makes every ballet movement look effortless. His strength gives him tremendous control and his jumps looks like he's flying. Kate tries her best, but feels like a duck in ballet shoes. 

She's not a complete loser. The mixed-martial arts sessions with Ximena is her time to shine. She's never been more grateful for the martial arts training she and Scott did growing up. "I underestimated you, Kate" Seth said with a smile after she easily bested him in a friendly spar. 

Their new rapport could easily be considered professional... if she didn't constantly ogle his butt when he's around or get distracted by the scent of his cologne. Thank God he's not topless around the house as often as Lalo is. Then there are the few dreams she's had about Seth... in a number of scenarios that are definitely less than professional. The latest involved them in the gym, on the training mat - only she's not sitting on top of him because she beat him in a round. 

She chalks it up to living in close proximity and spending a lot of time together.

They have basically spent all of their time together over the past week - the impact of Malvado's murder still has most of the cartel members on lockdown. They use the time preparing Kate for her undercover mission. They settled on her getting close to some mid-level gang member, named Rafael. He's an up-and-comer in the gang, but low down enough that no one would question him suddenly making a new friend. Especially, at this volatile time - with a murdered drug lord and warring 'Capos'. 

They are all very generous with undercover advice.

"Keep your history simple and close to the truth, if possible," Lalo offered. "Remember that gangbangers don't like talking about feelings or family. Nothing. If you don't ask, neither will they, Rookie."

"Hermosa, your name is Kate. Don't try to come up with a complicated alias with a whole new persona. It gets too confusing. Trust me."

"Hah, Paloma. You still in touch with that druggie who thinks your name is Marina?"

"If you start calling me Marina again, Lalo, I'm going to break your surfboard in half."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me, Cabrón."

"Don't overthink it, Kate," Ximena said while the Lalo and Paloma continued fighting. "You need to catch Rafa's eye. Piece of cake. If you do start a conversation, you have licence to play hard to get at a bar. He'll do the rest."

"Kate, have you ever done any acting?" Seth asked from the couch while browsing through his phone, completely disinterested in the conversation around him. She didn't know that he was paying attention.

"No, Seth,” Paloma yelled, suddenly distracted from her conversation with Lalo. “For the love of God, I do not want to hear your Pacino speech again."

The downtime they have involves an assortment of weird games that do not exist outside of Graceland: race to clean their guns, spot the lie, wrestling - affectionately known as Annie get your gun, Smooth Criminal, and Eye of the Tiger. It comes as no surprise to Kate that they keep a scoreboard in the gym and her name is at the bottom of everything. 

Kate stretches her legs and wiggles her toes in the sand. She's been up for hours, and the sun is only now starting to heat up the beach sand. 

A dark shadow suddenly appears, startling her. 

"You scared me," she tells Burt as he takes a seat next to her. 

"I could see you from the living room. You were good out there. You've picked up surfing quickly."

"Haha," she deadpans. 

Burt doesn't respond with his usual sarcastic remark. Instead, he stares at her and makes no attempt to respond.

"Wait," Kate asks, confused. "You're not making fun of me? Was that a compliment?" 

Burt grunts in response and shifts uncomfortably next to her. 

In her defence, she's never had a non-work-related conversation with Burt before. She's only seen him be social with everyone else in the house - generally with an extra dose of sarcasm.

"I'm sorry," she apologises quickly. "I wasn't sure what was happening."

She gets another blank expression in return. She's not sure if Burt plans on responding at all. God, why does he make her so nervous. 

"You're never nice to me," she continues when remains silent.

"Yeah... Well," Burt coughs out. "It's my job to make sure you're not eaten alive when you get out into the field. Not play nice."

Kate tries her hardest but ends up laughing loudly. "Lalo told me you'd say that at some point this week. Only his words were something about ‘leading little Bo Peep to the slaughter’. Paloma owes him 20 dollars."

"Okay, Rookie. Don't get too excited now. We need to focus on your upcoming debut into the field."

"I know. I know," she interrupts. "Pretending to be a criminal is not as easy as it looks on TV. Dr. Block has been going over the theory of cognitive dissonance in our sessions and I've been getting undercover tips from everyone in the house."

"Yeah. The good-old doctor called this morning to update me on your sessions. She's satisfied with your work."

"Two compliments in one day? No one's gonna believe this," she teases. 

"Easy. I said that she is satisfied. Don't get too excited, Rookie." 

"O...kay..." Kate waits for the other shoe to drop. It's clear that he has more to say. Burt has an eerie intensity when he gives you 100% of his attention, and Kate suddenly finds it hard to sit still. 

"We've tracked down that tonto, Rafa," he finally says, after what feels like hours.

"Awesome," she responds quickly. She’s excited to finally get started on her assignment instead of just prepping. She’s ready. 

"Awesome? You think you're ready to go, Donnie Brasco?" 

"Yeah… I guess. How hard can it be to pick up a guy at a bar?" 

"You're a cocky little one, aren't you? But slight change of plans. Rafa is scouting for a new act for the Twister. We've signed you up to sing at an open mic night at one of the bars. Tonight. Think you can handle that?" 

"I..." her voice catches in her throat. She wasn’t expecting to start tonight. She has to play it cool; Burt can smell fear. He may change his mind and decide she's not ready for this. "I used to sing in the church choir when I was younger, but I don't know if I'm good enough to be chosen as the new act."

"Don't need you to be the new act. You just sing on stage. This way, you will have an easier time getting Rafa’s attention."

She nods quickly and surely, but her nerves start to overwhelm her. 

She's going to try infiltrating a dangerous drug cartel.

Tonight.

This is real. It's really happening.

"You coming, Rookie?" Burt calls as he walks back to the house.

Kate didn't realise that he stood up.

She stands, collecting her stuff. 

She spots the team on their surfboards, and laughs when she sees Lalo fail at some difficult manoeuvre and fall off his board. He's a complete show-off.

She takes a few mindful breaths, like Dr. Block taught her, to centre herself. 

This is it. Show time. 

She steals another glance at the waves crashing on the shoreline, before making her way back to the house.  
______

"Run it for me," Seth says from kitchen, where he, Ximena and Paloma are preparing lunch for everyone. 

It's midday and they're assembled in the house to brief everyone on the new plan for Kate's undercover op that’s scheduled for tonight. Kate and Burt are at the dinner table. He’s busy with paper work. Kate is reviewing the file they have on Rafael and hoping that she knows everything she can about him. 

Lalo clears his throat as he paces around the kitchen and rights the files in his hands. Since the new plan was his idea, Lalo gets to run point and present to the rest of the team. "So, I heard from one of Carlito's minions that he's revamping The Twister. He's got contractors busy with the interior..."

"You want Kate to pose as a builder?" 

"No, Seth. Pay attention," Ximena interjects. "Lalo, continue. Please."

"As I was saying, Carlos is revamping the Twister. With the remodel, he's also sent Rafa out to find a new opening act for their relaunch party. It’s apparently some bullshit loyalty test because Rafa’s staying here instead of…"

"Wait just a minute. I'm the act at the Twister. Me," Paloma exclaims from behind the stove.

"Does Carlos know you're still alive? You disappeared right after Malvado kicked it."

"No, Seth. He technically does not. And that Mierda has not tried to find me either." Paloma sets down her wooden spoon and starts cracking the knuckles in her fingers and toes. She's clearly annoyed. The sound is like nails on a chalkboard for Kate and she shudders. 

"Back to the case, children," Burt chastises from his seat at the table, as he sets down one report to open another. 

"As I was saying," Lalo starts again, purposefully enunciating each word. "Rafa will be at The Point tonight. They're having an open mic night and I've already signed up Kate as an entrant."

"Think you can cut it as an aspiring singer, Agent Fuller?" Seth asks.

Everyone stares at her, waiting for her response.

"I used to sing in the church choir, but I'm not a professional singer."

"Don't need you to be a professional," Lalo interjects. "Belt out a little tune. Make sure that Rafa's watching. Maybe get a drink or two in him. You leave him wanting more. Nothing to it."

"I can do that."

"You really think this is a good idea?" Seth asks, looking over her at Burt.

Kate turns her head so fast that her neck muscle almost pulls stiff. She's stunned. Of everyone here, she never thought that Seth would be the one to doubt her capabilities. 

"Kate can handle it," Burt responds without looking up from his paperwork.

She tries to stop the grin forming on her face. 

"Yeah, all she needs to do is make an impression," Lalo says in her defence. He gives her a wink and her grin widens. It doesn't matter what Seth thinks. Her team believes in her and that's all that matters.

"Seth, you of all people should know that Kate is capable of making an impression." Paloma elbows him in his side and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay, enough," Ximena shouts over Lalo's laughter. "Back to the case."

"Why don't you show us what you got, Princess?" Seth speaks before Lalo can get a word in edgewise. 

"I... Uhm," she stutters. "You want me to sing?" she asks. He hasn't challenged her like this in a while. Is he trying to undermine her?

Seth's basically abandoned the vegetables on the chopping board in front of him now. "We hear you singing around the house all the time. Why don't you play that one you've been humming since you got here?" 

"Yeah. That's a good one. You can borrow my guitar. You play, right? It's on the couch," Paloma says, tasting a bit of the sauce from the pot. "Chop," she says to Seth, pointing at the chopping board.

"What song are you talking about?" Lalo asks. He sets the files down on the counter. He's clearly given up on retaining control of this briefing. 

"Lalo, you seriously have to try to pay attention some time." 

When Kate figures out which song he's talking about, she shakes her head. "I don't know the words or the melody."

"Kate, we're looking to see if you can hold a tune. This isn't your American Idol audition."

"Sing something you know, then," Ximena offers, while handing her Paloma's guitar. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's hear it, Miley."

Kate starts playing a few random notes, getting used to the feel of Paloma's guitar and tightening chords here and there. It's been a while since she's played and she's a little nervous. She's looking down as she plays melodies until she's reminded of a simple song that she's known for years. She hums along while she plays the opening bars, trying to find the appropriate register.

The world was on fire, and no one could save me but you  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do

She clears her throat and cautiously looks up at everyone. Their attention is on her, but their expressions are mostly unreadable. Burt just looks constipated. Paloma at least has an encouraging smile. 

'I never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you  
I never dreamed that I'd know somebody like you'

For some reason, she's too nervous to look at Seth. Especially with the way he's been acting today. She hates to admit it, but his opinion matters to her. 

'And I wanna fall in love  
And I wanna fall in love with you'

She looks down again and pretends to be concentrating on the guitar. Now it feels weird that she's not looked at him at all. This feels like she's still a teen in high school. It's so stupid. She looks up again and catches Seth's eye. His expression is stoic. 

'What a wicked thing to say, never felt that way  
What a wicked thing to do, make me dream of you'

Of course, he's not impressed. He doesn't think she can do this job. He's made that abundantly clear today. She feels like an idiot for thinking that they were starting to become friends.

'And I wanna fall in love  
And I wanna fall in love with you'

Out of nowhere, Seth gives her a small smile and a nod of encouragement. 

'The world was on fire, and no one could save me but you  
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do'

"Okay," Burt interrupts. "That's fine, but not that song. Go work on your cover. Seth, can I talk to you outside?"

Kate wasn't expecting a standing ovation, but Burt's brief remark leaves her feeling a little disappointed. Seth gives her another small smile as he wipes his hands and turns to leave with Burt.

"Is he high? Kate, that was amazing!" Lalo exclaims, clapping his hands loudly.

"Yeah, Mami. Paloma better watch out," Ximena teases, while winking at Kate.

"Hey. I'm the act at the Twister," Paloma retorts, elbowing Ximena in her waist. "Get out of my pot, Tonto."

"Yes, you are, Cariño. But right now, we have your cover to work on."

"That means you, Superstar," Lalo says, as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. "But first, we eat!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI - the song that Kate's been humming around the house is NFWMB by Hozier. 
> 
> I had the James Vincent McMorrow cover of Wicked Game in mind. I really like that version. There's a stunning dance to it on one of the seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. 
> 
> And now I want someone to write a Dance AU where Seth is the jaded choreographer with an old injury and Kate is the brilliant up-and-comer with lazy technique.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of what's become a 3 part chapter because group dialogue is hard and no one is the silent, stoic type. 
> 
> Happy new year.

"Testing, 1, 2," Lalo speaks into the microphone of their little sound system. 

"We can hear you, fool. Stop saying that." Seth can perfectly imagine the annoyed frown on Burt's face as his voice comes through the speakers.

"I'm bored," Lalo continues. "Is Rafa there yet? When is Kate going on?"

Paloma is getting annoyed with Lalo too and elbows him in the side. "Hush, dude. You need to calm down."

"Rafa walked in about five minutes ago and the first of the singers is about to go on," Ximena says to try to placate him and get back to business. 

She and Burt are the lookouts for Kate's maiden, undercover op. They're playing random bar patrons in a corner booth of the bar where Rafa is scheduled to be. Seth is stuck with Paloma and Lalo in an unmarked, too-small surveillance van, providing radio support. The Bureau has Kate wearing a government-issued, James Bond-wannabe tech watch that she can easily and discretely switch off. With only a built-in microphone, they can hear her but she can't hear them. The range isn't infinite, so they're parked close to the bar. If shit hits the fan and Kate's location changes, they'll be able to follow her.

"Sit still," Paloma says, elbowing Lalo in the side. "There's no space in here, and Seth's ego takes up half the van."

"Woah, easy on the drive by, your Highness. Can the two federal agents pretend to be professionals for a night?" 

"Hah! That's funny coming from the pinche criminal," Lalo jokes. Seth watches him take another sip of the bright, blue energy drink. Lalo bought an ass-load of junk food, mostly sugar-based. 'Brain food' he called it. Now everyone - especially Lalo - has excess energy coming out the wahzoo.

It's gonna be a long fucking night. 

It feels longer with the few minutes of hearing out-of-tune amateurs sing their hearts out with the faint hope of being discovered. Burt, clearly also bored with sitting on his ass, provides entertaining rolling commentary on the performances.

"Well, sure as shit, this one is never going to amount to anything. But he makes for an entertaining watch."

"You're exaggerating, Old Man. He's not that terrible. Everyone seems to enjoy his performance."

"Don't lie to them, Xi."

"Ignore him. Burt is just an extremely unhappy individual."

"Woman, touch me again..."

"You think she's pinching him or what?"

Seth feels the near-constant, dull ache at the centre his skull starts to throb like a bitch. Between the cartel bullshit, keeping tabs on Richie, and now introducing Kate to gangland - Seth is fucking done. 

It's a mistake putting Kate in the field this early and apparently, no one cares. Ximena says he's overreacting and Lalo felt the need to inform him of the 'superior' training the feds go through at Quantico. He tried talking Kate out of moving so quickly, or at least prepare her for what's to come. But conversations with Kate never go according to plan - especially in this house of so-called Professionals. 

"Is he always like this?" Kate asked the room after he tried educating her on the subtleties of lying to criminals. "With the one-liners and the macho bravado?" 

"Yeah, you should hear his 'be cool' speech?" 

"He has different speeches?"

"Shut up, Lalo."

"No, Seth. Be cool. You, be cool."

Good ol' Burt only seemed to be interested in the supposed "disgusting, puppy love" eyes he says he and Kate have been sharing since day one. 

"You need to keep your tiny dick away from my agent, Seth. In fact, stay away from her all together," Burt said to him after Kate was done showing off her singing chops before the op. 

Seth's heard her humming something the entire time she's been here, so he knows she can hold a tune. But he had no idea she could sing like that.

Holy Hell, can she sing. 

"I think we need to get you checked out for those hallucinations, Old Man."

"Oh, so now you're in charge? Whose responsible for that, huh?"

"Me. I am." 

"Well. Tell your boss, he's a prick."

"Whatever," Seth said to Burt's exaggerated eye roll. "That's not the point. She shouldn't even be here and you know it."

"Not again with your feelings, lover boy, and..."

"There is nothing going on with me and Kate," he yelled, for the millionth fucking time. 

Burt and his perverted imagination are obviously convinced that something is going on between them. 

There isn't. 

Technically. 

He has had - mostly PG rated and completely outside of his control - soft-core fantasies of Kate over the past week. He hasn't acted on it, but he's wanted to. One night he made it halfway to her room before high-tailing it to a brutally, ice-cold shower. Who could blame him anyway? Kate was a good lay and she's a knock-out in a two-piece. She's impressed them with her martial arts skills and she holds her own in the house. She is also annoyingly sweet and caring, adding her Suzy Homemaker touch wherever she goes. She's nothing like the washed-up misfits you usually find in this line of work. She lights up the whole house and everyone seems to gravitate towards her.

But he agreed to the rules, and lo and fucking behold, he's stuck to them. He should be Sainted and a giant statue erected in his honour. 

"And don't say there's nothing fishy with Venganza asking for Kate on this case," Seth added.

"What about Venganza?" Burt asked with a shocked expression on his face. "Did Kate tell you that?"

"No, Freddie told me. He didn't say anything to you?" 

"You sure he said that Kate was specifically picked by Venganza? That's what he said?" 

"I think..."

"Don't think, Gecko." Burt interrupted. "What exactly did Freddie say?"

"I don't fucking know, Burt. I try not to pay too much attention to Ranger Rick. What does it matter, anyway? It is too soon to send Kate out. She’s not ready."

"You better hope that she is. We're all set to tonight and Agent Fuller is making her debut one way or another. Now, stop changing the subject and just stay away from her."

With Burt going senile in his old age and too stubborn to listen to reason, Seth was fighting a losing battle. So, he did what any reasonable person would do in that situation - manipulate it for his benefit. 

"Tell me, Old man," he asked, as he carefully chose his words. "How exactly do you propose I do that? We live in the same house. You told her to do bonding activities with everyone."

"You're resourceful. Figure it out," he said, dismissively. He gave Seth a quick slap and turned to walk upstairs.

"Fine, but you need to do something for me," Seth responded quickly.

"Of fucking course I do." 

"Just hear me out. Before you interrupt, like a jackass."

Burt paused and, still halfway up the stairs, waved his hand for Seth to continue. "Well, what is it? I don't have all day to sit and play house."

Seth made sure to look Burt straight in the eye and sound as contrite as possible. He only had one shot at getting this right. "I need you to look at including Kisa in our deal."

He knew that Burt wouldn't be happy, but Seth didn't expect him to roll over, laughing like he told the joke of the century. "A deal for Kisa. You're hilarious, kid. Why don't we renegotiate your arrangement while we're at it? 40 million for your troubles sound good?"

"I'm serious, Burt."

That shut him up quickly - all trace of his laughing gone. Burt stared blankly at him for a moment that felt like fucking eternity, before he stormed down the stairs towards Seth. "The Hell you are, you ungrateful sack of shit. Did you get hit in the head or something when I wasn't looking? You are out of your goddamn mind if you think..." 

"Calm down, okay," Seth interrupted before Burt had an aneurysm. "I just need you to figure out whose dick she needs to scratch to get into the Bureau's good graces. You don't need to sign on the dotted line."

"Jesus, Seth. Do you know what you're asking? She's..."

"She's the Mistress. Queen of the macabre. Yeah, I've heard the gory details. But we both know that the Bureau has bigger fish to catch and she could help reel them in. Just look into it, okay?" 

"This is a big fucking ask, Seth."

"I know."

Seth thought about Richie. How frantic and uncontrollable he's been since he decided that Kisa had to be "set free". How he can't seem to hold a conversation on the phone without getting distracted and hanging up. Seth knows that until he has a plan in place to get them out, he'll take all the help he can get. 

Seth is broken from his train of thought when he realises that they've side-tracked from watching Rafa, to placing bets on who's likely to audition for next season of American Idol. He slowly massages his forehead, in the faint hope of stopping his brain from splitting into two. How the feds catch anyone when this is the juvenile shit they get up to when they're on the job, he'll never know. "Can we focus please? Burt, do you have eyes on Rafa?"

"Yup. Front and centre. Playboy is busy filming the young women performing."

"That's probably for Carlos," Paloma responds. "You know that he is a control freak. He would not let Rafa choose a new act alone."

"You think he's a little OCD?" Ximena asks.

"It would not surprise me if..."

"Okay. That's enough Dr. Phil for now. Who has eyes on Rafa?"

"Keep your panties on, Seth. We're fine. All eyes are on Kate, including our dear friend, Rafael."

They can hear Kate sing through the speakers. She's doing a cover of Nature Boy. It's soft, and slow, and alluring. Her voice is the only sound coming through the speakers. The audience is fucking entranced by Kate. She has that effect on people.

"Wow, home girl is an A-class stage performer. Paloma, I would be worried if I were you."

"I'll go out there, chica. Don't test me."

"Agent, you stay put. Wait. Ximena, do you have eyes on Rafa?"

"I saw him a second ago."

"You lost him?" Seth yells into the mic he steals from Lalo. Why is everyone on this team a goddamn moron? 

"We didn't lose him. He probably mov - wait, I see him now. He's busy on his phone. He probably stepped out to take a call. He's headed back to his booth."

"And Agent Fuller is making her way to the bar."

"Fucking finally," Lalo says with a giant grin on his dumb face. "Right, 20 bucks says that Kate gets bored of waiting and makes a pass at Rafa."

"No way, amigo. She'll stay put," Ximena argues.

"I'll take that action."

"Jesus Christ." Seth can feel his headache spreading. 

"What? You think he's gonna approach her?" Lalo asks him.

"I think I'm working with a team of delinquents."

"Come on, Seth," Paloma teases. "Stop being a wet blanket."

They hear Ximena chuckle through the speakers. "I have a theory. It's because he likes Kate."

"Now, hold on jus-"

"Did anyone notice that when she's around, he has the dumbest, goofy smile?" Paloma has the fucking nerve to wink at him. 

"This is bullshit."

"You're not the only one who noticed," Lalo says while opening another bottle of that fucking blue energy drink.

The cheers coming from his so-called "team" is deafening. "Haah. Even Lalo noticed!" 

Seth picks up his phone and a couple snacks for the road. He's done playing grown up. "Fantastic. If you jokers have time for a comedy sketch, you obviously have this handled. I'm done."

Lalo grabs his bicep, preventing him from leaving. "Take it easy, Seth. You can dish it out but you can't take it?"

"Hold up, kids," Ximena cuts in. "Rafa is on the move and it looks like he's heading towards the bar. Everyone stay sharp."

"And Kate?" Paloma asks. "Her feed is not coming through. Is her mic on?"

"I don't think they can really ask her that."

"That's not helpful, Lalo." Paloma keeps fiddling with a number of controls on the sound system. 

"Looks like Rafa's approaching," Ximena informs them.

He barely hears Burt add, "That was quick."

"You owe me 20, dude."

"You sure she's not approaching him?"

"I am not blind, Lalo. Can't you hear anything? Is her microphone still not on?"

"Nothing yet," Paloma replies. She's basically flipping whatever switches are in front of her at this point, hoping for Kate's feed to go live.

Seth can't shake the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Things are happening too quickly. Something is off here. He can sense it. Kate is attractive - that's easy to see - and a talented performer, but it makes no goddamn sense for Rafa to approach her this early in the night. There are other amateurs he needs to see.

"Wait," says Ximena. "I think she's adjusting her watch. You guys get anything that side?"

Like magic, the second feed goes live and they hear a faint whisper from Kate. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

No one can answer her. Seth hears some movement through the speakers before Ximena says, "Okay. She knows we can hear her. You recording, Lalo?"

"Locked and loaded. Finally, some action tonight."

"A performance like that demands celebrating. Let me buy you a drink?" Rafa's usual pip-squeak voice has dropped an octave or two. Seth can picture the dumb expression he has on his face when he's trying to impress.

There are normal introductions, followed quickly by awkward flirting from Rafa. He starts teasing Kate and calling her 'Katerina', no matter how often she corrects him. It is physically painful to hear Rafa try to pick up Kate. 

Kate's responses are short, coy and purposefully vague. She's playing hard-to-get like a champ, but her steely demeanour is undercut by her obvious nervousness. Her underlying Southern accent becomes more noticeable. Clearly, she's not faking the nerves.

And homeboy, Rafa, falls for it. Hook, line, and sinker. 

"I think I like this Kate," Ximena says.

"Looks like Rafa likes it too," Burt responds.

"Is this how you two hooked up?"

"Shut up, Lalo."

They talk about her singing. Rafa gets a kick out of her being a pastor's daughter, turned aspiring singer. He brags about being assigned to find performers for the 'fancy, upmarket Titty Twister'.  
Lalo scoffs while sipping his drink and starts coughing. If Seth rolls his eyes any harder, they're gonna pop out of his head. 

"You know, this is a really beautiful necklace."

"It was my mom's. Sorry, your hands are cold."

Seth gets a mental image of Rafa purposefully admiring Kate's necklace so that he can touch her. "I think she's made enough of an impression. How about we pack up the circus and call it a night, huh?"

"Seth. Chill. She's got this. Trust her."

Seth feels like he's coming out of his skin and the van suddenly feels too small. "I don't like this. Why did her approach her so soon? It's like he knew..."

"Seth, you are being paranoid. It's a young man meeting a young woman at a bar."

"Nah. Something ain't right her. You need to get Burt off his lazy ass and get her out of there."

Seth nearly chokes on an energy drink when Rafa says, "So, my boss wants to meet you."

He fucking knew it. It's a trap. 

"Your boss?" Kate asks hesitantly. 

"Yes, Katerina. Carlos, my boss who runs the Twister. I sent him a video of your performance. He is interested in meeting you."

"I..."

"I thought you wanted to be a singer? Make your momma proud?"

"I do."

"Then let's go."

There's indistinct rustling coming through Kate's feed and the volume of background noise drops significantly. 

"Is she going with him?” Seth asks. He knows that he sounds frantic, but he can’t seem to care. How is everyone else so calm right now? “Burt!?"

"Yes. She's following him out."

"She's what now?" 

"Did I stutter? She's leaving with him." 

"She can't leave the bar!" How could Burt and Ximena let her leave? How is he the only one who sees that this is a trap. 

"Oh, I don't know, Seth. If only the team had a transportation vehicle of some sort that could follow them to the new location."

"Shut up, Burt."

"Everyone shut up," Paloma yells. "I'm trying to hear what Kate and Rafa are saying so we know when to move."

They hear car doors slamming shut and then, silence. 

"You don't need to be afraid of me, Katerina. I don't bite. Not unless you want me to."

Kate genuinely laughs. "Do lines like that actually work on the women you meet?" 

"It's working on you."

God. This is nauseating. Seth scoffs and gets curious looks from Paloma and Lalo. "He sounds like a tool."

"He's just flirting, Seth."

"And making me lose my lunch. It's nauseating."

"Is it hurting your heart too?"

"Fucking ow, man," Lalo says, rubbing his arm where Seth punched him. 

"Hey, dummies," Ximena calls through the speakers. "Do you have eyes on Rafa, because we can't exactly follow them out."

"We're just waiting for them to start the car. Why haven't they started the car?"

They all shut up for once, to listen to Kate's receiver. 

It takes Seth a minute to realise something is wrong. 

"What the hell?"

"That can't be right?"

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

And that's when he realises how quiet the second feed is.

"Kate's mic cut," Paloma says. "I don't know what's happening with her."


End file.
